The Poker Game
by Enterprise1701-d
Summary: Draco organizes a no-holds-barred poker game. Harry decides to compete... just a little fun fic co-written by Joshua. I might or might not write more on this.
1. Chapter 1

**The Poker Game**

Harry Potter and the others do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this, and I wouldn't be short on cash.

In this story, I'm making some assumptions on the value of the Galleon. Seeing as we are generally rather uninformed about prices in the wizarding world, I'm basing my assumptions on the end of book four. Harry gave Fred and George 1000 Galleons to open the joke shop. Assuming that the twins had some money of they own, and the money was enough to cover rent for at least a few months, as well as getting stock, inventory, and doing testing of various items, I'm assuming that 5000 Galleons is enough to buy a small house in the country, and 10,000 would get you a reasonably sized house.

_The Poker Game – an HP shortfic by Enterprise1701d and Joshua The Evil Guy_

"Password?"

Harry looked at Hermione, a small smile on his face as they both leaned to the small opening in the door of the Room of Requirement. "We've got ten thousand Galleons, and aren't afraid to use them."

"Correct," the gruff voice replied, not happy about it at all, but opening the door all the same.

Harry and Hermione walked in, ignoring Goyle's glare as he closed the door back up behind them.

"Potty and the Mudblood," Draco Malfoy sneered from his place at the table. "What are you doing here, Scarhead? This isn't some poker game you can just waltz in, you know."

Harry shrugged, pulled out a chair for Hermione, then sat down himself. He threw two heavy bags to Daphne Greengrass, who was holding the bank. "Two times ten thousand Galleons, we're buying ourselves in."

Malfoy glared at Harry. "Rather, _you_ are buying the both of you in. I can't see the mudblood covering this kind of money. That's more than her house is worth, probably."

"Malfoy, for one evening, try not to be an ass. We're here to take your money, not your life. It won't kill you to behave like an ordinary person... even if it's just for one night," Harry grunted.

Malfoy was silent for just a few seconds. "You're right, Potter. We should all behave like gentlemen at the poker table." He glared at Harry and Hermione in turn. "That way, there are no hard feelings if you end up without any money."

Harry shrugged. "That's right, Malfoy." He looked around the table, noting that a few more chairs were present but empty at the moment. Already present were Draco Malfoy, Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davies, all from Slytherin House.

Seeing that the game wasn't going to start yet, Harry got up, and walked to the bar to get himself a drink. To his surprise, Draco followed.

"We're playing by the real rules here, Potter. No kid's stuff," the Malfoy heir said, actually sounding as if he were giving a warning. "That means, real drink, too." He drew a bottle of Fire Whiskey from the bar. Harry glanced over the assorted drinks, found nothing that was non-alcoholic, and settled for a bottle of Fire Whiskey himself. Drawing two glasses, he went back to his seat, shoved one of the glasses in front of Hermione, and plumped the bottle of whiskey in between them.

"No kid's drinks, only real alcohol," Harry muttered to his friend, who had started to open her mouth and protest.

There was a knock on the door, and the correct password was given. In came two Ravenclaws, Eddie Carmichael and Luna Lovegood. Harry shook his head. Luna, brilliant she may be, wasn't the type to be good at poker. Or, she'd be brilliant, distracting everyone with her curious sayings and explanations.

Harry tuned out the talk between the three Slytherins on the other side of the table, and greeted Eddie and Luna amicably. Not two minutes later, another knock sounded, and this time, it was two Hufflepuffs that came in, Susan Bones and her best friend, Hannah Abbott.

Harry glanced at his watch. It was another ten minutes before the game was supposed to start, but it looked to him as if everyone who was going to play, was here. But, this was not _his_ game. It had been put together, much as he loathed to admit it, by the male Slytherin sitting on the other side of the table. Of _course_ it had been put together by him... only he would put an entrance fee of ten thousand galleons on a poker game.

That's why he was here, to try and see if he couldn't cost the man some money.

Another knock sounded, and Harry frowned. Malfoy, for just a few seconds, reflected the same look, before both glared at each other, angry at themselves and the other for agreeing. Hermione, Tracey, and Daphne, all rolled their eyes at the ridiculous rivalry.

The correct password was given, apparently, as Goyle opened the door.

In stepped Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. Harry didn't know whether to be angry, or glad, that they were here. Draco, on the others side, seemed to be glaring openly... and that amused Harry more than the commotion the arrival of two teachers caused.

Dumbledore handed Daphne two sacks of gold. Apparently, the teachers weren't just here to watch... they were going to play, too.

Draco looked a rather pasty white, but Tracey invited the teacher to grab a drink, first. The game was going to start precisely at eight, after all.

"So, uh, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall," Harry tested the waters a bit as everybody got their drinks and took their places at the table, "How exactly did you hear about this... game?"

Dumbledore just gave that damn twinkling smile of his and shrugged while answering, "Oh you might be surprised at just how many things can very quickly become common knowledge in Hogwarts Harry. The student body has been buzzing about this little game for the past week or so."

"Yes," agreed Professor McGonagall, "and when we learned that it was young Mister Malfoy who was sponsoring it, we of course immediately went to Professor Snape to confirm the rumors. Severus would be here himself but the fact that the goblins would not provide him with a loan by today. And given those in attendance at this game," she paused to give stern looks at both Harry and Draco, "Professor Dumbledore and I felt that it might be required to have at least a couple of mature attendants. Unfortunately, Professor Snape informed us, and it was confirmed that the only way anyone would be allowed to chaperone the game is if they were playing. And out of all Hogwarts Staff, only myself and Albus had the savings on hand to stake the entrance fee."

Draco, as arrogant as he could be, really couldn't help but squirm under Professor McGonagall's most stern glare. It could even be argued that Voldemort himself might flinch back at first. At that moment, the School Clock chimed the hour, 8 o'clock, and everyone took their seats.

It was a round table, which seemed to expand and contract as needed, depending upon the players. Starting with Draco however, who was opposite the door to the Room, and moving clockwise to his left was Daphne, then Luna, then Eddie, Hermione, Harry, Professor Dumbledore, Susan, Professor McGonagall, Hannah, and finally ending with Tracey on Draco's right hand side.

The game started, and the first few rounds saw conservative betting, the players testing each other's strengths and weaknesses, everyone waiting for the others to make the first mistake.

Almost as if in agreement with this strategy, for the first half hour nobody had any _real_ winning hands, it all going down to who had the highest value cards. Harry was the first to get anything worth anything, and it was just a pair of two and the pot was small during that round. During the tenth round however, there seemed to be some unspoken agreement that everyone chose to abide by, although it also could have had to do with the fact that right off the bat several people suddenly had working hands.

Dealership had been passing steady with Draco starting in the first round and the next player over dealing cards the next round and so on and so forth. It was now Tracey's turn to deal, giving each player five face down cards before putting the deck down and picking up her own cards. Since Tracey was the Dealer, Draco had first bid.

Smirking noticeably, but then he'd been doing that the whole night so far, even when he had nothing, he raised the stakes a bit, everybody having bid no more than ten galleons, as this round he took a small stack of the gold coins before him (for some reason the wizarding world never caught on with the idea of Poker chips) and tossed them into the middle while saying, "I bid 200 galleons."

Everybody started at that and stared. Draco had a lousy poker face, but the fact that he kept it the same, good or bad, said he was either better than he let on, or an absolute idiot.

Looking down at his own hands of a pair of sevens, Hearts and Clubs, an eight of Diamonds, a ten of Hearts and the Ace of Spades, Harry decided that Draco was an absolute idiot.

Daphne then took the _exact_ same amount from her own stacks and tossed it in, saying, "I'll match." Suddenly everybody knew the real game had only just started.

Luna smiled serenely at her cards before taking twice the amount and said, "I'll see two hundred, and raise two hundred. Yes, that will be just lovely."

Frowning at the rather loopy blond, everyone else hesitated for just a moment before matching the four hundred galleon bet. Until it got to Harry. "I'll raise another two hundred," he said, casting in six hundred galleons from his stack. Dumbledore just chuckled and merrily raised the stakes up to 800 galleons. Susan and Professor McGonagall were looking rather hesitant all of a sudden, but they both matched the Headmaster's bet, as did Hannah without a word. Tracey just smirked evilly as she matched the 800 galleons, and then put in another two hundred to make it an even thousand.

Draco's smirk lost its edge just the tiniest sliver, but not to the degree that said he was worried. Thankfully, before the betting could continue, everyone was offered the choice to discard and draw fresh cards for their hands. Draco took three, Daphne one, Luna decided to discard her entire hand and take five fresh ones. Eddie stared in shock at his housemate for half a second before taking three for himself. Hermione likewise took three, while Harry got rid of his eight and ten and drew two new cards, giving him a third seven and the two of Spades. Dumbledore took two as well, while Susan, Minerva, and Hannah all took three. Tracey discarded only one card and gave herself a new one.

"Bet remains at 1000 galleons," Tracey announced after finishing passing out cards, "Draco, your bid."

"I'll match at 1000," he said without enthusiasm, putting a full stack of galleons from before him into the pot.

Daphne likewise matched, but reluctantly, while Luna, looking very happy for some reason, raised it to 1500 galleons with a cute little hop in her chair. Eddie frowned at her and sighed at her antics. Everybody knew she didn't have anything, but 1500 was too rich for him, not if he wanted to stay in the game for any length of time. "I fold," he tossed down his cards.

Hermione, reluctantly, matched the 1500 bet, and then Harry glanced over his own cards at every other player in turn. Three of a kind with the Ace and two of Spades was the best hand all night that anybody had seen. It wasn't the best hand in the game by a long shot, but unless Malfoy and the Slytherins were cheating, even more unlikely with two Professors present, he had the best hand and could win this round easily. The question became, did he try and draw out more from Draco and the Slytherins by betting low, or did he want to make the others drop out by raising it higher?

Rubbing his scar in irritation at the conundrum, Harry finally decided to follow Luna's example and see what would happen. "I'll raise another 500," he said, putting in two whole stacks of galleons. It was the most impressive pot of the night already, and then some.

Dumbledore just chuckled, eyes twinkling merrily as he matched Harry's bet, but did not raise it any further. Susan, Minerva, and Hannah all frowned and all folded. Tracey just smirked, like she knew a secret, and then raised it another five hundred galleons, making the bet 2500.

At the end of that pass, Tracey asked if anyone wanted any more cards, but they all declined and Draco quickly matched the 2500 bet. Luna almost raised again, but a sharp kick from Eddie under the table had her talking about Woottable gnomes being frisky instead and she settled for matching the 2500. Hermione frowned, but finally folded herself. Harry stayed in the game, and then smirked at Draco across the table as he raised the bet to 3000 galleons. Dumbledore folded rather than match and it went back to Tracey, who was staring with whole new respect at the nearly thirty thousand galleon pile. Glancing at her cards, then at her remaining galleons, she just nodded, without revealing any emotion, and matched 3000 galleons.

Harry, having made the largest bid so far, and the last raise, he waited to see what Draco, Daphne, and Luna would do, as they had to match 3000 to remain in the game or fold. Draco quickly tossed in the money, while Daphne quietly folded. Luna happily tossed in her own 3000 to match. Now, Harry could either raise the stakes yet again, and he was sorely tempted to, or merely call. Given than nobody else had chosen to raise it any further, he knew they weren't as confident in their hands as he was. Except for Luna of course.

Rubbing his scar again in irritation at the decision, Harry kept looking back and forth between his cards and the pile of galleons at the center. Then he just happened to glance up and saw Draco looking at him kinda funny. Like the blond boy had just been told something by Professor Snape, which quite frankly was never a good thing in Harry's experience. He deserved to be knocked down a peg or two.

"I raise another thousand galleons," Harry pronounced, pushing in four thousand galleons into the pot.

Scowling, Tracey answered, "Too rich for me. I fold."

Draco was back to smirking however, and it was as bad as ever, maybe even worse as he tried some trash talk to boot. "Must be a pretty good hand Potter. Of course, if things keep up at this rate, I wonder if even you will be able to keep up. I'll match, and just to see you sweat, I'll raise you another thousand!" The Malfoy heir pushed in 5000 galleons. Luna was about to match it, but another kick from Eddie had her complaining about frisky gnomes all over again and she looked all over the room for a second before pushing in her five thousand galleons. Harry merely nodded his head and matched the raise and said, "Call."

Draco burst out laughing and crowed, "Read'em and weep Potter! Pair of Kings, all Hearts and Diamonds!"

"Oh my, that is a good hand, isn't it Harry?" Luna questioned before putting down her own hand... of two pair with fives and nines and a Jack of Clubs.

"Wow Luna, that's also a pretty good hand," Harry complimented her. "Better than Draco's even. Unfortunately Luna, my three sevens, Ace of Spades and two of Spades beats even that I'm afraid."

"Oh, that's OK, I had fun anyway," she happily retorted while Malfoy's face was a picture of absolute rage.

"Next round?" Harry asked with a smile as he raked in over 48,000 galleons.

The next three rounds went much the same way, starting off in the hundreds, but soon everyone was betting in the thousands, only the winners were different. Draco won next, then Harry again, and Draco once more as the first hour of gameplay came to a close.

After about an hour of play, everyone had noticed that Harry was doing reasonably well, keeping his losses to a minimum. Hermione wasn't doing too bad either, after an hour's worth of play she was still sitting on about the same amount of chips she had started out with. The two Hufflepuffs had lost a couple of hands, both of them at about half of their original chips.

Eddie, from Ravenclaw, was at about ¾ of his chips, while Luna was losing rapidly, the airy blond grinning and laughing entirely too much for the amount of money she had just lost.

Daphne and Tracey were still about even, while Draco, too, had won a couple of bigger hands, one of which was the reason why Professor McGonagall was now sitting with about ¾ of her original chips. Dumbledore too, had lost a couple of hands, and had less than his starting amount.

All in all, the bigger winnings seemed to have gone to either Draco, whom they all knew was an experienced poker player, and Harry Potter, the unknown talent. For some reason, Draco tended to bet big whenever Harry was debating whether to raise or match, as the Boy Who Lived fell into the habit of scratching his scar during those decisions.

As the evening progressed, and the level of Ogden's in the bottles on the table started to drop, bigger and bigger bets started to be waged, now that the alcohol started to work its magic on the players.

00000

Luna was the first one in trouble. Her chips were nearly gone, and after Daphne raised the stakes, the blond looked at the pot, her cards, and then around the table.

"I seem to miss enough chips to stay in the game," she muttered, ignoring Draco's rolling eyes. "Are physical bets accepted?"

Daphne shrugged. "You can sell physical items to the bank for their approximate value in galleons, and buy it back at the end of the game, if you have enough left over... but that's only in between rounds. If you want to bet an item during play, you'll have to put it directly in the pot... but there's the possibility that you lose, and you won't be able to buy it back unless the winner allows you to."

Luna nodded. "I have no physical possessions worth betting," she muttered. "How about I bet myself?"

"Excuse me?" McGonagall asked, not believing what she heard.

"I'm betting myself," Luna said.

"How much is the price for an indentured servant these days?" Tracey asked Draco, grinning.

"Hm," Draco muttered in answer. "About the price of a small house. Let's be honest, and put the price down at four thousand Galleons. Of course, this is Looney we're talking about-"

"That's my friend you're insulting, Malfoy!" Harry growled, angrily.

"Fine, fine," Malfoy replied, coldly. "I take the Looney joke back. _Luna_ raises 4000 Galleons. I'm in," he said, grinning eagerly, pushing four thousand galleons to the center of the table, and leered at Luna, who didn't seem to notice the stare.

Daphne pushed four thousand Galleons forth from the bank. "I'm in. Now it's starting to get fun."

"We are NOT accepting students as bets!" McGonagall grunted angrily.

"Oh, yes, we are," Draco said. "Remember, Ultra-High-Stakes? Heck, you can bet your house if you want to. Those are the rules you agreed to play by."

McGonagall growled something under her breath, but didn't get support from the Headmaster, so she dropped it. "I'm out."

Ditto, the Headmaster. "I don't have the kind of money left to bet four thousand Galleons on a single round," he said, putting his cards down.

Hermione was red in the face, but this was Luna betting herself, and the drink had loosened her considerably. "I'm NOT betting on a friend," she grunted, dropping her cards.

Harry stared at his cards, then at the pile in the center of the table, and finally at Luna. "This isn't right, I'm not betting either."

"So you want me to go to Draco or Daphne then?" Luna asked, spacily. "Should I lose, of course."

Harry, about to put down his cards, hesitated. He _had_ some winnings, true. Just like Draco, he could miss four thousand Galleons. "Fine," he said, pushing the necessary amount to the center of the table. "I'm in."

"How courageous of you, Potter," Draco said, grinning widely.

In short terms, the two Hufflepuffs bowed out, and Eddie, who had seen his original bet raised by one female co-student, had to bow out as well.

"I have a Full House, tens over fives," Luna said, rather proudly, putting her cards down.

Draco cursed. His flush had been beaten. Daphne, too, sounded rather angry as she put her two pairs down. Everyone stared at Harry.

He swallowed, looked around the ground, and looked pale. He knew he had to put his cards face-up, or he'd try and weasel his way out of this...

"Full house, Kings over nines..."

"At least I'll have a good master," Luna muttered, rather subdued now, before her smile came back, full tilt. "At least it's not Malfoy."

Draco muttered something under his breath, then looked at Harry, who was still staring at the huge amount of Galleons in the pot. "Don't even think about it, Potter. You can't release her until the game's over. After all, you might have need for some collateral by the time the game's over."

Harry let out his breath, and scooped up his loot. "As soon as this game's over, I'm releasing you," he told Luna as his nimble fingers counted and piled the galleons without him even looking at her.

Luna shrugged. "If I want to be released, that is," she said, grinning. "Anyway, since I am now in your service, I can't play anymore... you could force me to do things, you know." She stood up, and walked to the bar. "I'll get you a new bottle of Ogden's, yours seems to be low."

Harry spluttered at Luna as she walked away. "Thanks," he finally muttered as the new bottle was put down next to him.

"I don't understand," Hermione said, turning to him. "We're all showing that we've been drinking. That bet just now is proof of that. But you look stone-cold sober!"

"Bad youth," Harry answer, shrugging. "Living where I live, I've been sneaking into Aunt Petunia's liquor cabinet since I was eight. It was the only way to get by. It'll take a lot stronger than this to drop me."

Dumbledore gave the young man a pitying look filled with remorse.

00000

Luna betting herself seemed to be another major turning point in the gameplay. Harry was still winning the bigger pots while always folding when he had nothing and because he wasn't playing, Malfoy tended not to raise as often. Yet Susan Bones found herself suddenly in the same position that Luna had found herself in before, the Hufflepuff lass was put to quite the quandary.

Sadly, at the beginning of the year, the matriarch of the Bones Family and good percentage of her adult family were killed by Death Eaters. It wasn't until three months after the fact that Susan was presented with the contents of the will of her family, which named her as sole beneficiary. Which, in laymen terms means that she could either bet all of her inheritance, the foundations of the entire ancient and noble Bones Family, the last physical remnants of her family on this world, and bet away Bones Manor, the deed of which she had in her pocket. Or. She could bet herself, like Luna did, as she was almost 5000 galleons behind the wage and she only had 1500 galleons left in front of her. But putting in Bones Manor could symbolize raising the bet and if it got raised anymore, she'd have to go all in, with herself on top of it. And the idea of _Malfoy_ owning anything of hers... She shivered in revulsion.

Looking back at her cards however, she saw the two red Queens smiling serenely up at her alongside two cute little black Tens and a lone Four of Clubs. Two Pair! It was the best hand she'd had all night! And if she just bet Bones Manor by itself, she could keep her current 1500 and then turn the rest of her Inheritance in for more galleons to the bank between play. She could win this. And there was so much money on the table before her, almost taunting in the way it shone.

Taking a deep sigh, she folded her cards so nobody would see, but did not put them down, and then reached for the deed to Bones Manor. "I raise... Bones Manor," she said with a dull slur in her voice as she tossed in the deed to the pot. "Worth more on its own than what anybody else has got! Cept maybe Harry, since he's got over a million plus Luna!"

"Bugger!" cursed Dumbledore as he knew that there was nothing, save one or two irreplaceable items, in his possession that could match the estate home of a Pureblood Family. He too had a good hand and he didn't want to give up too easily without a fight. Finally, like a lightning bolt in the brilliant genius's mind, an idea came to him. He had a lot of gold in front of him, but not enough to match an estate, unless he could add to the pot with something that might be worth just as much to some students.

"Very well then," he said as he shoved all his gold forward, "in addition to going 'All In' I believe the term is, I will be adding two slips of paper that by my binding oath will allow the users unrestricted access to all restricted areas of Hogwarts, most notably the Restricted Section in the Library. For themselves and any of their friends."

He then conjured the paper into his hand and tossed it in with the rest of his gold.

"A 'Get Out Of Detention Free' pass," McGonagall said without preamble as she too went all in. She had actually already put in two such passes already. Harry and Hermione each had won it over previous rounds.

"Too rich for me," Hannah folded.

Tracey had already folded for this round, so it went to Malfoy, who was paler than usual. He glanced over at Harry, who was stone-faced, although almost anyone else would be able to tell it was due to Luna trying to give him a full-body massage in his chair, but Malfoy is in idiot. Finally, the Malfoy heir scowled and pronounced, "I'll match, with Malfoy Manor!"

Hermione had been dealer this round, so it went to Daphne, who looked just as troubled. "I'm not about to bet the Greengrass Ancestral Home," she said while pulling something out of her own pocket, "but we do have a few vacation homes that should fit the bill. Here! The Greengrass Lodge near the sea! I'll toss in another 4000 to make up any difference!" She still had another 5000 galleons left afterwards, she didn't feel like betting it all on her hand just yet.

The call was made and the results were in. Daphne had a Pair of Kings, Draco had Three-Of-A-Kind in Nines, Professor McGonagall, who was quite drunk by now, had a Pair of Tens, Susan had her Two Pairs, Hermione had nothing, but Dumbledore and Harry both had Flushes. Dumbledore had all Clubs of low numbers, whereas Harry had all Hearts of a King, Jack, Ten, Seven and Nine. It came out almost even, so Harry took the properties, while Dumbledore took half the gold so he wasn't out of the game just yet.

Over Susan's crying, nobody missed hearing Luna ask Harry, "Now that we have a few places to live in, Harry, you're going to need to keep it clean. Would you like me to be your maid, Harry? I have a few costumes that might be fun trying out while cleaning to bare Bones..." Luna very quickly became Harry's good luck charm as around her, he had a Poker face that could out-stare a statue.

00000

The night was getting long, and Harry had to admit that the two bottles of Ogden's were getting to him. His stack of money was rather big now. He glanced to one side, where Hermione sat, swooning back and forth drunkenly, with a pile of chips that was about half of what she had started with. The others, too, were rather inebriated, and it looked as if this was going to be the last round tonight. The sun would be up in less than a couple of hours, and they all looked like they could use the sleep.

"Harry," Susan muttered, drunkenly, "can we have a gentleman's agreement? If you bet Bones Manor I just lost to you, I'll bet myself."

Harry wanted to tell Susan that he couldn't accept that bet. Heck, he was planning on returning the Manor to her after the game anyway. But, he also knew that, telling her that now would go against her sense of fair play. Not to mention, the entire night had been played according to 'gentleman's rules', and even Draco had more or less adhered to them... and this was yet another one of those rules. Honor. What a concept.

"I accept, Susan," Harry said, fingering the piece of parchment that was the deed to Bones Manor.

Hannah stared at her friend. She had stopped playing hours ago, her money all but gone. Luna merely giggled. "I might have a fellow servant if this goes on," she laughed.

Daphne, disgustedly, put her cards down. "I don't have four thousand Galleons left," she grunted angrily. "Too high for me."

Tracey looked at her cards, then at the fifteen hundred Galleons worth of chips before her. "I'm in."

"You don't-" Draco began.

Tracey glared at him. "I am in," she stated.

"Cool, TWO fellow servants!" Luna sang drunkenly.

Malfoy stared at his cards, his fellow Slytherin, the spacey blond that was Luna, and the rather attractive Bones heiress. "Are we all betting girls now?" he asked, his brain rather out of it thanks to the booze. "Hey Harry, how about a second gentleman's agreement? Malfoy Manor for Pansy Parkinson."

"You are betting your _girlfriend_?" Harry asked, incredulously. "OK, fine, you lost your ancestral home, but there's no way you can bet somebody _else_!"

"There's an old Life Debt between the Malfoys and the Parkinsons I can call in. She'll go where she's told. So, how about it, Potter? You putting in Malfoy Manor?"

Harry looked at the second piece of parchment, the one that was the deed to Malfoy Manor. "That's rather unfair, isn't it? I'm putting up Bones Manor, as well as Malfoy Manor, and you're just betting your girlfriend?"

"Just His girlfriend!? Mr Potter, that is a breathing person you are talking about!" McGonagall screeched, her voice shrill with drunkenness.

"And he knows I'm letting them all go tomorrow morning, or tonight, whenever I see the girl in question," Harry replied, calmly.

Malfoy saw scarlet. "What else do you want, Potter? You _have_ my house!"

"No family heirlooms or something similar? I can understand Susan... but Malfoy Manor is worth a lot more than Pansy." Harry asked, seeing if he could get something more out of the Malfoy heir.

"Fine," Malfoy grunted. "The Malfoy jewels. Pansy, plus the jewels, for a gentleman's agreement that you're betting Malfoy Manor."

"Deal, Malfoy," Harry said, grinning. He threw the deeds on the pile, while Draco put in two parchments, one detailing his bet of the Malfoy jewels, and one detailing he was betting Pansy, through a Life Debt. It really looked as if he wanted his house back.

"THREE fellow servants!" Luna crowed, almost rolling off her chair with laughter.

Hermione bowed out. Literally, her head cracked against the table, waking the drunken Gryffindor up with a start.

"What'd I miss?"

"Susan and Tracey bet themselves, Draco bet his girlfriend and the Malfoy Family Jewels," Harry said, unable to resist the joke. Hermione shook her head, and folded.

Harry looked at the pile, the deeds there, and nodded. "The deeds are in there. What do you have?"

"King-ten flush," Susan said.

Tracey grunted. "Damn. Two pair," she muttered, throwing her cards down, face up. "Looks like I might be in your service," she told Susan.

"You'll both be in mine," Draco said, grinning widely. "Four of a kind!" He threw the four fives down, face-up.

Harry put his head in his neck, and laughed, laughing at the ceiling. "Five of a kind." He threw the cards down, face up, revealing four Kings and a Joker. The odds were astronomical... and Harry had just beaten them.

"Yup," Luna said, laughing along. "THREE new servants in the household, a lot of property, and the Malfoy Jewels," she looked at the virtually crying Malfoy heir. "I hear they're quite pretty."

"They're among the best," McGonagall said, unable to resist the urge to rib Malfoy. "I'm sure you and the others will look fabulous with them on."

Harry looked at his head of house, and smiled widely. "Of course! Only the best for my servants!" he said, earning him a dirty look from Hermione, grateful looks from Susan, Luna and Tracey, and earned the girls a jealous look from Daphne.

00000

The next morning found Harry sitting at the Gryffindor table, surrounded by Luna on his right, Susan on his left, and Tracey sitting in front of him. Around the little group were the other Gryffindors, smiling and laughing at Harry's predicament as he repeatedly tried to get the girls to leave him alone. However, they would have none of it.

"It takes _both_ sides to release a magical contract," Tracey said imperially. "Both _contractor_ and _contractee_ have to agree to release the contract, and unless we say so, the contract remains valid. Regardless of how many times you repeat that you're releasing us, that simple fact will remain."

Harry grit his teeth, and glared at his breakfast, as if it was the one at fault. "I'm going to _kill_ Malfoy," he muttered. "If that bastard hadn't started this whole Poker game thing, I wouldn't be having this problem."

"You mean, you're seeing us as a problem?" Susan asked, sweetly, putting her head on his shoulder and fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"Eh.." Harry stammered, regardless of how angry he was he couldn't bring himself to deliberately hurting their feelings.

"And look at it this way," Tracey said. "If it hadn't been for the poker game, you wouldn't have ended up with three properties, including Malfoy Manor and the Greengrass lodge near the sea, not to mention that truckload of money, the five get-out-of-detention-free releases, the unrestricted access to the Restricted section for you and your friends... _plus_, as you have both the Heiress to the Bones name _and_ the property in your collection, you could, legally, call yourself Lord Bones."

He paled, and glared at her. "Collection?" he asked, darkly.

Tracey nodded. "Yup. Legally, you're a pureblood now. Congratulations, Harry."

He bit back a scathing remark. This was _not_ how he had envisioned this morning. Sure, he had wanted to brag with winning Malfoy Manor, and forcing the bastard to pay rent, but now everyone was laughing at him for the girl-trouble he seemed to have found himself in.

"This just keeps getting better," he said, resuming his glare at his breakfast. It wasn't any more guilty then it was last time, but it made him feel better.

"Could be worse..." Susan said, voice trailing off as she looked at the entrance of the Great Hall.

"What do you-" Harry stopped abruptly as he saw what she meant. Pansy Parkinson had just stepped into the Great Hall. She looked around, searching the Gryffindor table and soon found her target, apparently.

Sighing visibly, the girl stepped forward, into the rapidly quieting Great Hall, and walked to Harry's side. For one second, she looked at him, him looking up her standing for with a look that was both curious and filled with trepidation.

Silently, she dropped to her knees. "I have come to serve you, my master... do with me or to me what you will."

Harry felt cold, as if he had suddenly become encased in ice. True, she had never been nice to him, she had been with Malfoy, insulting him and his friends... but not even she deserved to sound so defeated. Not even she deserved...

He bit back his own dark thoughts. "Get up, Parkinson," he whispered, voice darker than he had intended, and she flinched visibly.

Great, now he felt worse. He hadn't meant for it to come across so harsh that she thought he'd_ hurt_ her. Drawing a breath, forcing himself to relax, he looked at her, now that she was standing again. Her eyes were drooped, as if she were exhausted, and filled with fear at what her fate would have in store for her.

"I'm releasing you, Parkinson." He shot a glare at the other girls. "I'm hoping you, at least, will have the sense to take it, contrary to these three idiots."

She sighed, relaxing visibly. "You mean it? You're letting me go? After all the things... I said? That I did?"

"Nobody deserves to be another's slave," Harry said, rather angrily. She flinched again, and he felt the anger bubbling up inside of him once more. What kind of society was the wizarding world, where people would believe that they'd be struck like this? "I'm releasing you from the contract _Malfoy_ created on your behalf. Go back to your House. You're free to go."

He looked at her, as if urging her to go. She nodded, once. "For what it's worth, Potter... thanks."

He smiled at her, relieved. "At least one of you has any brains."

She nodded once more, than started to walk away. After four steps, she turned, and looked at the others. "Why aren't you going?"

"Why would we?" Susan asked. "Harry made it quite clear that he wanted to return both my freedom and my property. But, he's treating us really nicely, and I don't mind having some more fun, and this way, at least for a little while, I won't have to make any decisions myself."

Luna smiled airily. "I just want Harry to ravish me."

The boy in question turned first pale, then bright red, then pale again as the implications sunk home. Forget his sanity, his _virtue_ was at stake here! While he stared at Luna with his mouth open, Tracey smirked at her 'master'.

"For me, it's all about the fun." She glanced at Luna. "Although that ravishing part doesn't sound to bad. If Luna wants to share-"

"The more, the merrier," Luna said, interrupting with a big smile on her face. Harry now stared from Luna to Tracey, back to Luna.

"- then we can even have a threesome," Tracey finished, grinning at the blond.

Pansy stood there, staring at the three of them, and the shell-shocked look on Harry's face. "You mean all that? About him treating you right and all that?"

Susan smirked. "Most boys would have had us last night, there was nothing we could have done had he told us to strip. Instead, he tried to release us. Now, we were all quite drunk, and I guess we just felt like being contrary, so we refused. He then told us to go back to our dormitories and get some sleep. This morning, same thing. We've been sitting here for fifteen minutes, and all he's done is try and get us to leave him."

She latched on to his arm. "Plus, he's promised us the Malfoy Jewels."

Harry blinked. Then, he remembered the promise from yesterday. "That's right!" he said, penny dropping. "So you're staying for the jewels! Now it all makes sense!"

Susan flinched back from the hateful look Tracey and Luna shot her, while they loudly protested the implication.

"If there were no jewels, we'd _still _ stick around!" Tracey grunted, angrily. "You're a nice guy, Harry. There aren't many guys who wouldn't have tried anything with us in such a situation if they were sober... and _you_ were drunk! That alone tells me I'm in good hands with you." She shrugged. "Besides, it's fun."

Luna was nodding enthusiastically. "And I haven't been ravished yet. I'm not leaving without it!"

Harry shot her a startled look again. Quietly, he looked at Susan, who was staring at the table. She was shaking.

"Susan? You alright?" he asked, his anger forgotten. For as long as this messed-up situation lasted, he was responsible for her, and he'd be damned if he didn't take the responsibility seriously! Besides, he knew Susan from the DA. She was a good person, and he didn't like to see her hurt.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have said that... it was a joke... I'm sorry... I would have stayed, jewels or not... please don't be angry."

She was still shaking. Harry sighed, and shook his head. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered. Awkwardly, he put an arm around her. "It's alright, Susan. I'm not mad. Although the explanation would have made more sense to me, and now it just went back to surreal. Honestly, you don't have be afraid." He looked at the other two girls. "You never have to be afraid of me. I might get mad, but I promise I'll never hurt you."

Susan was looking up at him, a rather tearful smile on her face. He smiled back. "There," he said. "That's better than seeing you cry."

Pansy was still standing where she had stopped. She sighed, looked at the Slytherin table, then turned and walked back to the Gryffindor table. Harry cursed under his breath.

"Come on, Parkinson," he said, half-loud. "I thought you had brains!"

"If I back out now, the Slytherins will tear me to pieces," she grunted as she arrived back at the Gryffindor table, finding no empty seats near Harry.

"Dean, mate, could you make some room for her?" Harry asked, shooting a death-glare at his breakfast. The girls were _sure_ that it would start smoking any minute.

Half a minute later, Pansy sat down. "Welcome to the nuthouse, Parkinson," Harry grunted. He didn't notice her flinch.

"Do... do you have to call me that?" she asked in a timid voice.

Just hearing the usually cool and collected Pansy Parkinson speak in such a timid way made him look up and stare at her. "Sorry, Pansy," he corrected himself. "Bad habit," he defended himself, then frowned. "You look really pale, Pansy," he then said, studying her face. He made a come-hear sign, and she obediently leaned slightly over the table. He pushed his hand to her forehead. "No fever, though."

"I didn't get much sleep last night," she answered. "I had a bad feeling... and then Draco told me... I spent the rest of the night agonizing about what might happen, how bad you'd hurt me, or the things you'd do to me to get back for all the things I did and said."

He sighed. "I'll never hurt you," he promised once more. "Come on, I'll take you to the nurse. It might be exhaustion, or something more."

"Sit down, Harry," Tracey said, standing up, and drawing Pansy to her feet. "I'll take her to Madam Pomfrey."

"But-" Harry said, starting to protest.

"You're a pureblood master now, you shouldn't concern yourself with us," she stated, regally, as she started to walk out.

"I bloody well _do_ care!" he shot in protest, halfway to his feet.

"We'll get those bad habits out of you!" Tracey shot back as they reached the doors. "In another week, we'll have you acting like a proper pureblood, watch my words!"

Harry sat down again. They had left the Hall, no sense in screaming after them. "Well, I bloody hell don't want to act like a 'proper pureblood'," he muttered.

For the rest of the day, Harry was glad that he didn't have any lessons with either the Hufflepuffs or Slytherins, and thus had at least a break from the girls during classes. All day long, he was preoccupied, thinking about the situation, trying to find a way out.

During lunch, he had found himself surrounded once again.

"Glad to see you're looking better, Pansy," Harry said, honestly glad to see the Slytherin girl look better. "What did the nurse say?"

"Now, Harry-" Tracey began.

"I want to know what Madam Pomfrey said. And I still care about you girls, especially since you all decided to make me responsible for your lives. If you don't like it, all you have to do is accept my offer to cancel the contract," Harry replied, levelly, looking at Tracey, before looking back to Pansy, who was flushing now.

"Thanks for caring," she said, at a low level. "It was exhaustion, and the nerves, I guess. Madam Pomfrey gave me a potion to relax me, and it helped."

Harry nodded. "Glad to hear it."

Tracey didn't let Harry's comment get to her, and kept trying to make him act like a proper pureblood. He ignored her attempts.

They broke for classes, and Harry let out his breath as Luna went to the fifth year Ravenclaws, Susan went to the sixth year Hufflepuffs, and Tracey and Pansy went to the sixth year Slytherins... none of which shared any classes with him today.

"I feel like pounding my head against a wall," Harry muttered. He glanced at Hermione. "They just don't want to accept the fact that I want to cancel the contracts, and Tracey keeps trying to make me act like a 'proper pureblood'. I'm just glad that she's not going on about blood purity."

"I'm just glad you're treating them right," Hermione replied. "Not many boys in your position would be so honorable."

Harry scoffed. "That's probably the reason they don't want to leave, I'm treating them too nice." He sighed. "You know, it would be so bad if Tracey didn't keep trying to convert me into a pureblood overlord of some kind. Plus, I have the feeling that there's a storm brewing between the girls. They all have different feelings about this, they all want different things, and I don't know how long they'll be nice to each other about it. The last thing I want is them fighting."

Hermione was silent. "You know, I have read a book about pureblood households."

"When did you have time to do _that_?" Harry asked, surprised. "Sometimes, you astonish me, Hermione."

Smiling at the unexpected praise, the girl said, "This morning. While you were busy arguing, I read about this sort of situation. What I think is happening is that Tracey is pushing for a position known as the 'First'... like a den mother of sorts. The First is in charge of the household, and so on."

Harry stared at her, his jaw on the ground. He picked it up, reattached it to his face, and muttered under his breath.

"Sorry?" Hermione asked, not having understood him.

"That's just great, now I have to chose between them", Harry said, a little louder. "You know, I think that, no matter how good Tracey would be at the job, the only one out of them that I really know is Luna. She went with us to the Department of Mysteries last year, she's been a prominent member of the DA, and she has been a good friend." He grinned. "I think I'll ask Luna if she wants to position. Maybe, it'll make the others reconsider." He shrugged. "Even if it's just Tracey that leaves, at least it's one girl..." He trailed off as Hermione look miffed about something.

"I don't believe you, Harry," she said, sounding rather angry. "These girls _want_ to be near you! Pushing them away will only hurt their feelings. It's not a very nice thing to do, honestly, Harry."

He stared at her. "They are clamoring to be my indentured servants, Hermione! If I tell them 'I order you to', they are _bound_ to do what I tell them! I don't want that kind of power over people! They're like slaves, only with a better title!"

Hermione shook her head. "In this case, as they refuse to rescind the contract, it's voluntary. And besides, it's not slavery, as you are bound to take care of them. And you're already doing a fine job, caring for Parkinson like that."

"Don't call her that," Harry snapped, then blinked, and stared in confusion. "She... eh... wants to be called Pansy," he muttered, flushing.

Hermione laughed, her point had been proved.

00000

That evening, he got the shock of his life as the portrait to the Gryffindor Common Room opened up, admitting the four girls. Luna just took everything in stride, while Susan, Tracey, and Pansy just looked around, figuring the differences between the Common Rooms.

Harry stared at them, then glanced at the rest of the Gryffindors. Most of them didn't react too badly, but most boys _were_ shooting him smirks. As well as some semi-jealous glares.

"Can I help you?" Harry asked, bringing the attention of the three gaping witches to him.

"Well, we're your servants, so we need to be close," Susan said, grinning, receiving a mildly peeved look from Tracey, who apparently wanted to be the one to tell Harry.

"Eh..." Harry muttered, deciding that Hermione seemed to have been right about Tracey. He shrugged, and motioned for a couple of free couches. He was just glad that it was a calm evening, and there _were_ free couches. "Have a seat, girls."

They sat, and looked up at him as he stood before them. "It's been brought to my attention," he glanced briefly at Hermione, before focusing on the girls once more, "That I need a First. Now, unfortunately, I don't know most of you that well. So... I would like Luna to be my First."

The blond in question looked up at him, blinked her large silvery eyes, and a smile crept onto her lips. "I accept," she said, airily.

Susan and Pansy just nodded, and took it in stride. Tracey sputtered. "But... but..."

"You keep trying to change me," Harry said, gently. "I don't want to change. I want to be Harry. Just Harry. Now, due to circumstances, it's become hrder than ever, but I still want to be as normal as possible. And acting like you want me to act isn't helping."

She looked at the couch, and nodded sadly. "I understand. I'm sorry."

He sighed, feeling like a class-A jerk again. How did these girls wind him around their fingers to easily? He placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up. "I'm not angry, Tracey, I'm just explaining things... I've known Luna for longer, she's a good friend of mine, plus, last year, she had my back in a very difficult situation. I trust her."

Tracey nodded, smiling slightly once again. He smiled back at her, and sat down, right in the middle of them, making them scamper out of the way to make room for him. Squeaking and laughing, they made the bare minimum amount of space, and pressed themselves close to him.

"So, Harry, can we stay the night?" Susan asked, grinning.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Poker Game**

Harry Potter and the others do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this, and I wouldn't be short on cash.

In this story, I'm making some assumptions on the value of the Galleon. Seeing as we are generally rather uninformed about prices in the wizarding world, I'm basing my assumptions on the end of book four. Harry gave Fred and George 1000 Galleons to open the joke shop. Assuming that the twins had some money of they own, and the money was enough to cover rent for at least a few months, as well as getting stock, inventory, and doing testing of various items, I'm assuming that 5000 Galleons is enough to buy a small house in the country, and 10,000 would get you a reasonably sized house.

_The Poker Game – an HP shortfic by Enterprise1701d and Joshua The Evil Guy_

**Chapter Two**

"You're going to be doing your job as First, Luna," Harry stated firmly as they neared the door to Professor McGonagall's office. "_YOU_ get to convince my Head of House why there are four witches from other houses who want to stay in Gryffindor."

"In the Common Room," Luna added, with a small smile. "Unless she lets us into the Boy's Dorms."

Harry remained silent, and shook his head as he knocked politely. The door opened.

"Mr Potter? Miss Lovegood? What can I do for you this evening?" Professor McGonagall asked as she opened the door, and looked at her two students.

"Luna?" Harry asked, lifting one eyebrow in Luna's direction.

Luna dipped her head. "Perhaps we can talk inside?" she asked. The elder woman nodded, and stepped aside, letting the two students into her office.

"Now, what can I do for you?" she asked after they had sat down.

"I am sure you are aware of the new status of myself and three others, Professor," Luna said, calmly.

McGonagall nodded. "I am," she said, her tone neutral, and Harry was vaguely wondering why there was no underlying tone of outrage present in his professor's voice.

"Then I would like to petition officially for myself, Susan Bones, Pansy Parkinson, and Tracey Davies to be allowed to stay in Gryffindor House. That way, we are at hand, should Harry need us."

"I'm sure we can enlarge the girls' dorm..." McGonagall said, obviously thinking it over. Harry felt stunned. What was she playing at?

"The problem is, Professor, that Harry still can not get to us should he require us," Luna said. "As boys cannot enter the girl's dorm. We thought it would be best if we were allowed to stay in the boy's dorm-"

"Absolutely not!" Harry grunted.

"- but Harry doesn't want that," Luna went on, as if he never interrupted her. "We would like to stay in the Common Room. If a large enough bed could be provided, we'd be quite comfortable there."

McGonagall was silent, and Harry was sure this was the point where his Head of House would tell them no, getting the girls off his back. To his surprise, she nodded.

"That would still leave you open to the boys... and four witches asleep make a tempting target," his Head of House said, and Harry felt something unpleasant crawl up his back.

"Perhaps some privacy charms would help?" Luna asked.

"Sounds like a good plan, Miss Lovegood. You have my permission. Do you require any help?"

Harry's jaw hit the ground. "Pro... Professor... you're actually going to let them stay?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter. They are yours, and they should be close enough for you to call to them should you require their service. It's the only logical thing to do. Unless you would like them to come up and stay in the boy's dorm. We would have to clear out a room, however, and that would take some time. Until then, this is the best solution."

"But... but..." Harry stammered, unable to grasp what was going on around him. "Why go through all this trouble?" he finally asked. "This is only until the girls let me stop the contract... and why are you taking it this far? These are four girls... young women... and you're referring to them as if they _should_ be at my beck and call! It's not right!"

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, sounding tired and disappointed. "These four young women have been pledged to you. Either through their own actions, or through the actions of another, but that does not matter. Until such a time when they're released from that contract, they are, for all intents and purposes, your property."

"_Property!?_" Harry shouted, jumping out of his chair. "They are _not_ my property! Luna's my friend! Susan's a good acquaintance! I didn't know Tracey or Pansy before this, but they're nice girls!"

"That is a very noble sentiment, Mr. Potter, but unfortunately, that does not change the law. And the law is clear. The moment those contracts were sealed, they became your property. They are allowed to finish their year at Hogwarts, but after that, they can only continue their education here if you permit them to."

Harry was trembling by now. With anger or outrage, he didn't know. He flipped to Luna. "Luna! Tell her! Release the god-damn contract! _Please!_"

Luna stared up at him, her large silver eyes suddenly sad. "Do you hate us, Harry?" she asked.

"Wha...?" Harry asked, voice stopping and leaving gaping like a fish out of water.

"We left our families when those contracts sealed," Luna said. "We joined yours. As your servants. Property." She swallowed, looked at the ground, before looking up and staring him in the eyes again. "If you release us now, before we could serve you, it would tell the wizarding world that we are sub-par. Not even worthy of being servants. No-one would employ us. We wouldn't be able to finish Hogwarts. We'd be force to do whatever was needed to remain alive." She swallowed. "Do you _want_ us to sell our bodies to perverted old men to be able to buy food?"

Harry fell in his chair. He looked at McGonagall, who was staring sadly at Luna. "Tell me it's not true, Professor," he pleaded. "Tell me, please!"

"A bit dramatic, but it's, in essence, the truth," McGonagall said. "Only if you release them after they have provided their service to you can they resume their normal lives. Usually, this wouldn't have been an issue. A young man would have taken advantage of the contract as soon as he was able, one way or another..."

"But Pansy... she was about to take the release..." Harry whispered.

"She thought you'd treat her worse than the world would," Luna said. "When she found out you were nice to us, she changed her mind. Remember what she said when she joined us?"

Harry nodded dumbly. "She said the Slytherins would tear her to pieces," he muttered slowly, staring at the ground. He drew a breath. "So if I release you... if you take it..."

"It would be horrible for us," Luna said.

"I didn't know," Harry whispered sadly. "I'm sorry, Luna."

"No worries, Harry," Luna said, her usual forgiving self.

He shook his head. "I'll make it right, some way or another," he said, and looked at McGonagall. "I want them to continue their education here after this year," he said. "Arrange it." His Head of House looked startled at his commanding tone, but Harry turned to Luna. "If you, or the others, need anything... _anything_... ask me. If this responsibility has been dumped on my shoulders, I'll damn well make sure I'm responsible."

Luna just nodded, a smile gracing her face. He smiled back at her, his eyes sad. He turned back to McGonagall. "I think the girls will need some help Transfiguring a permanent bed, and putting up those privacy wards. Could you help them, Professor?"

"Of course, Mr Potter," McGonagall said, not knowing where this new authoritative Harry had come from, but rather liking the change in her student.

"I'm going to the library, and peruse the Restricted Section," Harry said. "Take a load of my mind. Maybe some cuneiform or hieroglyphs will calm me down. Strange drawings always calmed me down," he muttered the last to himself as he started to walk to the door. "Luna, tell the other's I'm sorry... I'll come apologize when I'm calm. Right now, it's a rather big shock."

Luna nodded. "I'll tell them. Don't worry, Harry, we're not angry."

"Yeah, but I still almost forced you into a life..." his voice trailed off.

Luna smiled airily. "Don't worry too much about it, Harry. Between the four of us, we'd have made _great _porn actresses. Especially as long as we were young enough to successfully portray Hogwarts students. Perverted old men like girls in a school uniform."

Harry shuddered. "Please don't joke about that, Luna."

"I'm not," the blond replied with a vague smile as she and McGonagall left the office, right behind Harry. He just shuddered again, and made a beeline for the library. It would definitely be hieroglyphs. He didn't understand them, they were part of seventh-year Ancient Runes curriculum after all, but the strange drawings did help calm him down. And he needed a lot of calming down right about now.

He entered the library scant minutes later, flashed the permanent authorization at the librarian, and entered the Restricted Section. Usually, he'd just wander the castle, go fly, or do whatnot. This time, he decided to just go do something that nobody else was allowed to do, and using the permanent pass to the Restricted Section seemed like just the thing the doctor ordered.

His eyes trailed the backs to the different tomes, until they fell upon a thick, leather-bound book marked with golden hieroglyphs. "Finally. Hieroglyphs," he muttered as he carefully removed the book. One never knew what a book from the Restricted Section would do. Hence why it was Restricted.

He took the book to one of the free tables, put it down, opened it somewhere in the middle, and started looking at the weird little drawings. He grinned, then flipped the book to page one. He _still_ didn't understand them, but he figured that he'd best start looking from page one.

Half an hour later, he was at page fifty or so. He didn't understand a word he was 'reading', but the glyphs were doing what he had hoped they'd be doing – calming him down. Vaguely, he noted the repetition, and in his mind, he tried to figure out what the little drawings could mean. Some of them resembled human figures, others looked like animals, or objects.

A shadow fell over him, and he looked up as Hermione sat down.

"Luna said you'd be here. I didn't really believe her," his bushy-haired friend said.

"I needed to go do something to take my mind off things," Harry said, staring down at his book again.

"I didn't know you understand hieroglyphs," Hermione said, looking at his book.

"I don't. But the drawings calm me down, and when I try to attach meanings to it, it becomes great fun. This here looks like a bird. The one after that's a knife of some kind, followed by this weird little drawing of an eye above a squiggly line with a man kneeling underneath. That would be... _the falcon used the knife to stab out the eye of the man_. Or something. I don't know, but it's relaxing."

Hermione smiled. "I'm sure that's not what it says."

Harry shrugged. "I don't really care. That's what I think it says, and it makes me chuckle." He looked up at his friend again. "Why didn't you tell me, Hermione?"

She looked sad suddenly, and stared at the tabletop. "Because I didn't know, Harry. The book didn't say that... it's horrible."

Harry nodded. "It is. I need help, Hermione. I need to find a way to break these contracts without... without forcing them into... that kind of life." He stood up, started pacing. "I can barely deal with my own life. I can barely keep _myself_ alive. Now I have _four_ girls that depend on me, and I'm scared out of my mind!"

"Quiet!" Madam Pince, the Librarian, admonished.

Harry shot her a glare that was filled with so much raw anger and worry that it sent shudders down the librarian's spine. He blinked, and the look was gone again as he turned to Hermione, sitting down once more. "I can barely take care of myself, let alone four girls that are now, McGonagall assures me, _my property_." His voice, although whispering, was filled with revulsion. "Those are human beings, and through those contracts, the wizarding world treats them like house-elves. Worse... as a free elf can still get work somewhere, but a human released from the contract without _providing the necessary service_ would be forced into a life of poverty."

Hermione nodded. "I think... for now... you should keep them close, treat them well. I'll figure things out, Harry. Don't worry."

"Thank you, Hermione. I'll do what I can." He looked down at the book, put a bookmark at the page he was at, and closed it. Tucking it under his arm, he left the library. He had work to do.

Five minutes later, he was back in the Common Room. It was rather full, studying students everywhere. Harry found _his_ girls – he shuddered at the thought – together, in front of the fire. He drew a breath, steeling himself as he walked toward them. Noticing his arrival, Luna notified the others, and they all looked up at him. Luna, Tracey, and Susan smiled, while Pansy merely had a little warmth flooding into her eyes. Harry felt his heart clench. This must be hard on her, not wanting to be here, forced due to Malfoy's contract. If he ever got that bastard alone...

He banished the thought. He stopped before them. "Luna brought something to my attention," he muttered quietly, so they were the only ones who heard. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what kind of results abandoning the contracts would have on you."

"You didn't know, Harry," Tracey said. "Granted, the results wouldn't have been pretty... but Pansy and I have a strong family behind us, the results wouldn't have been that bad for us. Susan, as the last Bones, could draw upon the Bones family name. Luna, however..." she trailed off as the airy blond just shrugged.

Harry blinked. "But Luna said you lost your families..."

"We still share blood, Harry," Tracey said. "We're not officially part of our old families anymore, but we could be reinstated, after the contracts were to be canceled. All laws have loopholes... for the strong families, that is." She shot an apologetic glance to Luna, who merely smiled serenely.

"No worries, girls," Harry said. "I'm not going to pressure you to cancel the contracts anymore. Hermione is trying to figure out how to cancel them without interrupting your lives. For now, I've asked McGonagall to make sure you can continue your educations, and I'll try and make sure that you're not impacted any more than necessary." The girls all shot him grateful looks, even Pansy had a small smile on her face.

"And that also means that you should return to your Common Rooms. I'm not going to be taking advantage of these contracts-"

"We will remain here," Luna said, interrupting him, drawing a startled glance from Tracey and Pansy. "This is where we belong."

"But," Harry started.

"Anything else would be like a breach of contract," Luna said. "Unless you don't want us anymore... which would be like stopping the contract... and thus forcing us into a life of servitude to perverted men..."

Harry shuddered, and Luna stopped, smiling serenely. "Fine, you can stay," he muttered. "So... where did McGonagall put your bed?"

"In the corner over there. It's hidden by notice-me-not charms and privacy wards," Susan said, snapping her fingers. "I'm the privacy keeper, now you can see it."

Harry finally noticed the large bed in the corner of the Common Room, and shook his head. "Who else can see it?"

"Hermione, for now," Tracey said.

"Good. Let's keep it that way... I wouldn't want anyone taking advantage of you while you're asleep. I trust Hermione to keep things to herself."

Tracey was suddenly pressed against him. "Oh, Harry... you worry for our virtues?" she asked seductively, trailing one hand down his chest.

He swallowed, unable to bring his eyes away from the pretty witch. "Eh... I... eh... "

"Oh, you want to keep us all to yourself," Tracey said, grinning wider.

Harry shook his head, breaking the trance. If he could shrug off Veela charm, this should be nothing! "I want you all to be happy," he finally said. "And I don't think you'd be happy if you were constantly fending off guys trying to molest you in your sleep."

Tracey stepped back, a rather startled look on her face. "You really mean that, don't you?"

He sat down in the midst of them. "Yes, I do. Now... I know Luna pretty well, and I know a little about Susan, but I don't know you and Pansy," he told Tracey. "Why don't we talk? Get to know each other? After all, if I'm going to make this as easy and pleasant for you as possibly, I'll need to know what to look out for."

They talked until late at night. It was well after everyone else had gone to bed that Harry, barely able to keep his eyes open, decided to call it a night as well.

"Why don't you rest your eyes for a bit?" Luna asked. "I'll wake you in a little while."

"I really should go up," Harry protested meekly, too tired to actually care.

"Let us take care of you, Harry," Luna said, gently. "Half an hour, then we'll wake you up and you can go up. Right now, you look too tired to go up those stairs."

Harry muttered something, and closed his eyes. "Half an hour," he whispered, before passing into the blissful arms of sleep. Luna had a mischievous look on her face as she got up from the couch, and waved her wand, Transfiguring Harry's uniform into a pair of pajamas. With a silent swish-flick of her wand, she had the sleeping boy levitating, and put him in the bed.

"You have no intention of waking him," Tracey said, not asking, but stating.

Luna smiled slightly, waved her wand, and transfigured her own Ravenclaw uniform into a nightgown, a garment which left her arms bared, showed a bit of cleavage, and dropped only to her knees.

Tracey grinned, and copied the movement. Susan shared a look with Pansy, before the Hufflepuff changed her own uniform into a nightgown that left her comfortably loose, but still reaching down to the ground. Pansy, on the other hand, transfigured a conservative nightgown that covered her arms completely, and dropped so low that it trailed fabric over the ground.

Luna and Tracey shared another look, and both girls crawled into the bed, where Harry was now sleeping peacefully on his back in the center of the large mattress. Luna crawled up to his left, and spooned against him. Tracey copied the movement, and spooned to the right. To their surprise, his arms came up, holding each girl close to him, and just a moment later, some invisible tension seemed to seep out of his body, a kind of edge that suddenly vanished.

Susan and Pansy dropped down where they found space, the bed more than large enough to accommodate them all.

00000

"Harry?"

Harry cracked open one eye. That had been the best night's sleep in... forever, he guessed. The world was blurry around him, but he recognized the voice. Still, that pleasant warmth he remembered from his dreams remained, and he let out a contented sigh. "Hermione?" he replied.

"What are you doing?" she asked, sounding rather angry about something.

"Sleeping?" he wondered out loud.

"What's that on your left?" she asked, not amused at all by his reply.

Harry's blurry world shifted as he looked to his left, where a head of long, blond, hair greeted him. A pair of silver eyes blinked, and Harry smiled. "Good morning, Luna."

"Good morning, Harry," she replied, making a motion. Suddenly, the world swam into focus as she gently put his glasses on. He didn't drop the left arm that had crept around her, holding her close to him. She felt _warm_, dammit, and he liked the feeling. Hermione or not!

"That's Luna, Hermione," Harry replied, deliberately playing dumb as he looked back at his bushy-haired friend. She was tapping her foot, her arms crossed, looking quite angry now.

"And on your right?"

He looked to his right, where another girl was present. He smiled at her. "Good morning, Tracey."

"Morning, Harry," she replied, grinning at him. He returned the grin. He didn't let _her_ go, either. She was just as warm as Luna, and he liked the warmth right where it was, thank you very much!

"That's Tracey," he answered Hermione's question.

"What are they doing, in your arms?"

Harry glanced at Luna, then at Tracey, then looked back at Hermione. "They were sleeping, too."

"Harry!" she screamed.

"They were supposed to wake me after half an hour," he said, remembering something from last night. "But I guess we were all too tired to bother." He glanced at the girls in his arms, wondering slightly where Susan and Pansy were.

As if they read his mind, the Hufflepuff looked up from behind Luna, and the second Slytherin peeked over Tracey's body.

"Good morning Susan, Good morning Pansy," Harry replied, cheerfully. "Sleep well?" he asked all the girls, ignoring Hermione, making her fume even more.

"Yes, Harry!" the four girls answered at the same time. He grinned.

"Did you sleep well, Harry?" Luna asked.

"Best night's sleep I can remember," he replied honestly. "Not a single nightmare, nothing. You girls are amazing."

"Thank you, Harry!" the foursome replied at the same time. He grinned again.

"As long as you're awake, I should get up," he said, sounding rather disappointed for having to leave the warmth of two spooning girls. "Although I wonder which one of you perverts was the one who changed my clothes yesterday evening."

"I Transfigured your uniform," Luna replied dreamily. "I saw nothing, unfortunately."

Harry grinned. "That's my girl," he muttered affectionately. Leaning over, he kissed her forehead. "Thanks." She beamed at him. He leaned over, kissing Tracey's forehead. "Thanks." A second girl beamed at him. He still wasn't that far up. Disentangling himself from Luna and Tracey, he sat up, kissing Susan's forehead. "Thanks." A third beam joined the other two, and Harry's grin was only growing wider. He'd never been good with girls, but it seemed that he was getting better at it!

Pansy looked rather strange at him, and he realized that she was uncomfortable. He reached out, and took her hand. "I know you don't want anything happening, Pansy," he answered her look. "I will never force any of you into anything, I will never hurt any of you, I will take care of all of you." He kissed the back of her hand. "Thanks."

She smiled slightly, then looked at her hand. She leaned closer. "Please?"

He smiled broadly at her, leaned closer, and kissed her forehead. "Welcome to the family, Pansy."

The girls cheered. Hermione shook her head, and walked off, confused out of her mind.

Transfiguring his clothes back to a uniform, he got out of the bed. Soon, they were all off to breakfast, Harry's large book on hieroglyphs tucked under his arm.

He was so wrapped up in the presence of the four girls that he didn't notice someone come up behind him, not until they tapped him on his shoulder did he even realize someone was there. "Ginny? Hey, how are you doing? I hope your day is going as good as mine is so far."

It was then that he noticed his best friend's baby sister was blushing all the way up to her ears and she looked like something was bothering her too. "Ginny? You OK?"

"Actually, Harry..." she began, but finally had to pull him back from the table and anyone listening in on them, then she just tried to shrink in on herself all at once, "I just got an owl from my parents. And from the Ministry, Department of Binding Magical Contracts."

"What is it? What happened?"

"Well, I'm not sure of all the details, but apparently somebody did something yesterday. I don't know who, but Dad's letter explained that somebody _officially_ called in a Life Debt between two of the older pureblood families. Apparently it was called in to establish a contract with somebody else, but because of legal proceedings, all of a sudden _all_ of the Life Debts between _all_ of the pureblood lines are being called in and being made to create contracts of indentured servitude for the youngest member of each pureblood family."

Harry was open-mouth stunned. Until she got to that last bit and suddenly things started to make quite a bit more sense. "Malfoy," he growled, about ready to go over and rip the smarmy git's head off.

"There's more," Ginny whispered, drawing his attention back to his fellow Quidditch player.

"Please don't tell me there's a Life Debt between the Weasleys and the Malfoys too," he almost whined.

"No, thank god no," she assured him, allowing him a sigh of relief. "I owe my life to you Harry Potter," she said instead, stopping his heart all over again. Before he could object or say anything extra, she quickly explained, "Back in my first year, with the diary and everything, in the Chamber of Secrets... you saved my life. Mum and Dad never made it official or anything, but by the letter of the law, the whole Weasley family owed you, the last of the Potter line, a Life Debt. Mum decided to make you, unofficially, part of the family and everything, but because of this letter I got from the Department of Binding Magical Contracts... well, let's just say that until this whole mess gets sorted out in the courts, I'm kind of your servant."

Harry stared at her for a full minute, before turning back to facing the table, and then proceeded to bang his head into it over and over again with loud and heavy thuds.

"He took that better than I thought he would," Ginny nervously remarked to herself as she sat down next to Luna.

"What if I refuse?" Harry suddenly asked. "I mean, the girls can refuse me canceling the contract. Surely, I can refuse to accept it!"

Ginny suddenly went red again. "You... you'd refuse me?"

Harry shrugged. "If the contract doesn't get established, you wouldn't be ostracized, right? Besides, you're like my little sister... ever since I become an unofficial part of the Weasley family, I've looked out for you as if you were my own sister. Having you as a servant... it wouldn't be right!"

She was shaking, probably on the verge of tears. In the last day, Harry had learned a little bit about women. He didn't like to see them cry, or upset. He looked around at the girls, who were looking rather sympathetically at Ginny. "Did I goof up again?" he asked, sighing in dejection.

"Not really," Luna muttered. "I mean, it is true that, without the contract being established, there's no repercussion from the outside world."

He let out his breath, a grin developing.

"However," Luna went on with her devilish logic, "that does not mean that there are no implications for Ginny, personally. She owed you a Life Debt, as did her family. It was called in, through outside sources, outside of both of yours control. Your refusal would imply either you regret saving her life-"

"Absolutely not!" Harry shouted.

"Or that you are saying that her life, although saved by you, does not merit a reward."

Harry cursed loudly, and smacked his head against the table. _Hard._

As cutlery jumped, rattled and bounced, the Great Hall became silent. He looked up, ignoring the looks he drew from everyone, and looked at Ginny. "Welcome to the family, Gin." He stood up, tossed back the last of his goblet of pumpkin juice, jammed a piece of toast in his mouth and swallowed without chewing, and grabbed his book.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the library."

Lune put an arm around Ginny. "Don't worry, Ginny. He's accepted you. Now he just needs to accept his decision."

"In the library?" the youngest Weasley asked.

"He likes making up stories involving hieroglyphs," Tracey replied, giving the young Gryffindor a kind smile. Ginny found herself returning it hesitantly. "He showed us last night. It's very entertaining, and it's something he started doing recently. Apparently, it helps him cope with these kinds of surprises."

00000

Meanwhile, down in the dungeons, in Slytherin's Common Room actually, another young man was trying to deal with his stress another way.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ISN'T ANYTHING YOU CAN DO?!!" Draco Malfoy screamed into the green flames, his head already stuck in the midst of the Slytherin fireplace. He was currently speaking to his father and the Malfoy Family Solicitor (that's British for lawyer).

"While you did make the initial motion and bid for the calling in of all Life Debts between Pureblood Families in order to facilitate the creation of Indentured Servant contracts, Young Master," Mr. Howe of the Magical Law Firm 'Dewey, Screwum & Howe', "These things tend to take on a life of their own. And, unfortunately, while it is true the once the Malfoy family _did_ have multiple and Official Life Debts owed to them, the Parkinsons were the last that really still owed you anything. Because of... your father's... dealings," the two older men shared a glare at each other for a moment, "many, in fact almost all of those Life Debts were already paid back, _officially_ by having the other families use their considerable influence to keep your father, and yourself out of Azkaban."

"So not only do I _not_ get a servant, but because of this, _Potter_ gets _ANOTHER_ girl thrown in his lap?!"

"The Weasley girl herself owed him an unofficial, yet known Life Debt. The fact that almost everyone in the Wizarding world knows that he saved the girls life in her first year at Hogwarts from that Basilisk," Mr Howe spared another glare at his client, "makes it as good as official, despite the fact that the Weasley family did not fill out paperwork to claim an Official Life Debt owed to Mr. Potter, and so to answer your question, yes. Because he saved her life, Harry Potter gets Ginny Weasley as yet another of his Servants, all thanks to the law you had me pass into motion on your behalf."

"Arrggghhhh!" Draco screamed as he pulled his head violently from the fireplace.

"He took that better than I thought he would," Mr. Howe told Malfoy Sr. as he got up to leave.

Back in the Slytherin Dungeon, Draco's temper tantrum was still going on, sending all Fourth years and below scattering for safety, and a few of older crowd looking for someplace else to be.

Daphne Greengrass watched this off at the side, frowning with thought as she focused on a cunning plan to get her out of the Slytherin dungeon, possibly forever, but definitely for the rest of the year.

00000

Harry still had that Egyptian book tucked under his arm as he walked, slowly strolling down the hallway, actually, with Pansy Parkinson at his side. A week ago, he would have seriously doubted the sanity of anyone suggesting he could ever walk down a hallway, being friendly with the girl. Heck, a couple of days ago, he would have laughed at the notion! Now, he felt oddly comfortable with the Slytherin girl.

"So, Pansy, how are you doing?" Harry asked, finding it odd that he actually _cared_. "I mean, you've been uncomfortable with this entire situation since it started... but this morning... well, you know," he finished lamely. He may be comfortable with her, and the other girls, but that didn't mean he was getting any better at actually _talking_ to them. Plus, he still had the Ginny situation to figure out. Heck, he was wondering why Ron hadn't shown up yet, threatening to beat him to a pulp!

Pansy nodded. "I know," she replied, looking uncomfortable.

"You can tell me anything, Pansy," Harry replied, friendly. "I won't betray your trust. What you say to me, stays with me... if you want it to, that is."

She nodded, gratefully. "Thanks," she said, sounding as if she meant it with her whole heart and soul. She swallowed, glanced at him, then hurriedly resumed looking at everything else. _Anything_ else. "It's... I was so scared," she admitted. "Afraid of you. Of the situation. Of what would happen to me." She shook, once, years of Slytherin conditioning against showing emotions coming to the surface.

She startled when Harry put an arm around her. "I will protect you," he answered, calmly. "I swear, I will do whatever it takes to make you happy, to make you safe." Pain flashed before his eyes. "I've lost too many people who are important to me. I swear, I will do whatever I can to make sure it never happens again."

She looked at him then, her eyes wide at the implications of what he said. "Do you... do you actually mean I am..." she couldn't finish the statement.

"Yes," he answered. "You, the others. You were forced on me, true... but I have to admit... you grew on me." he smiled ruefully at her. "I hope, in time, I'll grow on you, too. I wish we could all be comfortable together. It's why I asked to talk to you, you still seem uncomfortable, and I wanted to know if there was something I could do to help."

She was still staring at him, not even realizing that she had stopped and was now staring at him like some lovestruck schoolgirl in the middle of the hallway. He smiled slightly, but remained silent, content to just wait her out, let her make up her own mind.

The mood shattered when a snide voice piped up. "Well, well, well, what have we got here, boys?" Draco Malfoy asked his two unofficial bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle. His voice sounded oddly angered, especially as Harry was aware that he had yet to do something to force such an emotion out of the Slytherin. "It looks like the new harem-master and one of his _consorts_. Tell me, Potter. How does she feel?"

Harry's left hand clenched into a fist, aware that his right was still holding the precious tome out of the Restricted Section. "If you must know, Malfoy, I have not touched Pansy."

A sneer made its way onto Malfoy's face. "What, she not good enough for your pleasures, Potter?"

Harry felt something cold slither into his veins. He glanced at Pansy, who seemed to be struck worse than he was. Forced himself to relax, he glared at the Slytherin. "Malfoy, you're an ass, and a very stupid one at that if you think I would do _anything_ against a girl's wishes. Believe me, if Pansy had wanted it, there would be nothing stopping me."

He saw from the corner of his eye that Pansy shot him a surprised look, which soon filled with a gratitude that warmed his heart. He knew now... it _had_ been her fear, and now, he had just taken it away. "Go home, Malfoy. You're not wanted here," Harry finished, turning to Pansy and ignoring the red-flushed face of Draco Malfoy. He extended his hand to the Slytherin girl, and asked, "Shall we go back?"

She smiled gently at him, and it made her usual harsh features look more striking than he had ever remembered them being. She placed her hand in his. "Sure," she answered.

Draco had seen that look, too. That look she had never given him, that had been denied him, was now directed at his worst enemy. Worse, his worst enemy that now had a whole _harem_ of girls, thanks to Draco himself, while he himself had none! He didn't even have a home anymore!

He raised his wand, and shouted a curse. Next to him, he felt Crabbe and Goyle do the same thing.

Harry jerked away, pushing Pansy behind him, grabbing his wand with his left hand. Z sharp jerk to the right threw up a shield that likes of which neither Pansy nor their attackers had ever seen. Bright blue it was, spanning the width and height of the hall, absorbing the three spells.

He gently placed the book in her hands. "Hold this, and step back," Harry whispered, and when Pansy looked into his eyes, she startled. They were cold and dark, a look she had never seen before.

The shield dropped, and Harry brandished his wand in his right hand. "Now, Malfoy, I will teach you _why_ it is not a good idea to attack one under my protection." Malfoy sneered, and shot another spell. Crabbe was a mere half-second behind, while Goyle was a full second behind Malfoy, effectively staggering the spells.

Harry's wand blurred, describing an infinity symbol into mid-air, the spells veering off course, striking walls and ceiling. As the trio kept firing, Harry's wand kept blurring. Standing to one side, pressed against the wall, Pansy held the book tightly against her chest, feeling something... resonate deep within her, as if the very air was pulsing around her, making her midriff rumble. As Draco and his bodyguards kept firing, the length and complexity of their spells varying, Harry's wand kept blurring, deflecting each and every spell.

In total silence, as if he didn't even need to speak the words. _Pure wordless magic!_ Pansy thought to herself.

A start went through her when the tip of his wand started glowing a dull red, and his lips started to move. Faintly, she heard a chant. Latin. Words of power were interlaced with whispers of protection, and the air seemed to thicken. Draco and his bodyguards felt it, too. The pace of their casting increased, as did the lethality of their spells. Where before they used mostly stunners and body-binds, they were now slowly working up to bone-breaking hexes, lead-lung curses, and other kinds of nasty things.

The tip of Harry's wand was now glowing yellow, and his words started to blur together. Pansy swallowed at the glare in his eyes. He had seemed vaguely unemotional when he started, but now he looked... outraged. Furious.

The motions of his wand changed, and the more lethal hexes continued to slam into the walls, actually pulling chunks of stone out of the solid stone walls. Suddenly, his vocal timbre changed.

"I-nà net-à tet-à tes-à," Harry muttered, ancient Egyptian sounding out loud. "Seta-kuà. (a)" The tip of his wand was glowing white-hot now, and he started to advance on the trio of casting Slytherins.

"Ànet hràu-oen neteru àpu àu-à rex-kuà-ten! Rex-kuà ten-ten enen xer-à en śàt-ten enen sàr-ten bàn-à en neter pen enti oen em xet-f nen iu-tu sep-à her-ten! (b)" Hary's wand was glowing a bluish-white, his entire wand looked like it was glowing red-hot, and the magic in the air was thick like water. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, were huddled together in a corner, throwing hexes and curses that seemed to slow down before Harry banished them into the walls.

"Hetem em bah àpitu-f her bah qennu-f! (c)" he intoned darkly, the thickened air imploding into the tip of his wand, before exploding towards the three attackers. The moment the magical shockwave washed over them, their wands shattered under the strain, their clothes burned from their bodies, their ears enlarged and their eyes crossed. Their hands become long, and they suddenly found themselves on all fours, like a cruel half-transformation between ass and human.

"_I could have just killed you,"_ Harry growled, the magic he had just wrought making his voice rebound through the hall. "Instead, you get to live like that until someone comes up with some way to remove an ancient Egyptian curse from you."

He turned around, and held out his hand. "Shall we go back, Pansy?" he asked, before a shudder seemed to go through his body, and the wand fell from his fingers, hitting the ground. Both Pansy and Harry stared at it, as it smoked and melted into the floor, before cooling down and solidifying. Harry watched dispassionately as his wand's color slowly returned to normal, before picking it up. "I need to get back," he muttered. "Calm down."

Pansy nodded, and grabbed his hand. "Come on, Harry. We'll go back. Give you a chance to relax. We'll protect you, don't worry."

He nodded dazedly, and let himself be led back to the Common Room.

When he entered the Common Room, he took no notice of the people present. Instead, he leaned on Pansy as she guided him to the couch, letting him slip down gently before sitting down next to him. He looked up when Luna sat down on his other side, Susan and Tracey drawing another couch over so they could sit down in his proximity as well.

"What happened?" Susan asked, worry in her voice.

"Draco and his goons decided to attack me," Pansy whispered, guiltily. "Harry stepped in... protected me." She drew a breath. "He spoke Ancient Egyptian."

Harry shrugged. "It was as if something burned in my mind," he said. "It felt so powerful, as if I knew the words all along, just didn't know it. But it'll take a heck of a lot of power to overcome that half-transfiguration."

Pansy smiled slightly. "I'm sorry, Harry. If I hadn't..."

"They attacked you. You're a victim, Pansy, and I helped you. If anyone's sorry, they are," he replied, cutting her off. Strength seemed to seep back into his voice as he spoke to her. "I will never regret defending you, just like I will never regret defending the others."

"What did you do to them?" Luna asked, a rather vindictive smile on her face.

"They were transfigured halfway between human and ass," Harry replied. "Somehow, I seemed to run out of energy to complete the transfiguration completely, and I had to break it off halfway through. Such a shame," he said, not sounding sorry at all.

As the three girls laughed, Harry put an arm around Pansy. "I don't blame you for their actions. It's OK to laugh with the others," he whispered in her ear. "You're safe now."

His body went rigid when a voice screamed through the air. "HARRY!"

Ginny was around him neck in no time, and he shuddered at the unexpected contact. "Not right now, Ginny," he muttered. She ignored him, continued her embrace of him. "Oh, Harry, I'm yours now! Do with me what you want!"

He wrested his arms free, and pushed her away. "I said, not right now, Gin. Pansy was attacked..."

"Well, that couldn't have been bad, as she's sitting right there," the redhead muttered, causing Harry's features to darken.

"Gee, fuck you too, Weaslette," Pansy grunted darkly in answer.

"Pansy! Ginny!" Harry growled low in his throat.

Pansy paled, and bent her head. "I'm sorry, Harry, Ginny. That was my old self."

Ginny's red face was the same shade as her hair. "They should have-"

"Ginny," Harry voice was low, almost a whisper, but it was laced with something... intangible. A spearpoint of power knifed through her, and she shuddered.

"You're going to let that Slytherin..." she said, once more, her Weasley temper rising once more.

"Gin," Harry spoke up. She glared at him.

"These girls are in the same situation you are," he grunted coldly. "I don't care what claim you think you have, but for our friendship's sake, I'm going to let this pass. This is your last warning. In this group, there is no place for jealousy, intrigue, or clamoring for position. Luna is my First. This group, as much as I hate to admit it, has grown on me. I like these girls... these young women. They are precious to me, even after only a few days. I will protect them. If you want to be part of this, you will need to keep yourself calm. Pansy slipped up, but only after you baited her. Yet, she apologized. It saddens me to see that, not only did you not offer your own apology, you chose to not even accept hers."

He drew a breath, and stood up. He started pacing, four pairs of worried eyes and one pair of stunned eyes following him as he paced. "Today, I had to fight off Draco and his two goons. They were trying to come after one of mine. They will regret that decision for a long time."

"Harry! You could have been hurt!" Ginny admonished.

He turned to her. "You are all under my protection, from the moment your safety, your happiness, became my responsibility. However, I have a duty to myself as well. I do not need added stress, not with the weight of the world on my shoulders already. Last night, I had the best night's sleep I had ever had, and that, more than anything, made me realize that I _need_ this, I _need_ these fine young women with me. If you, Ginny, can not cope with the fact that you have to share, that you can no longer throw a temper tantrum and expect to be coddled, that you will need to _grow up and work together with others_, then I will be forced to release you. For no other choice but my own peace of mind and the happiness of the other four."

"You... you would chose them over me?" Ginny practically wept.

"They were here before you, what makes you think I would chose one of you over four of them?" Harry replied, coldly. She may have been his sister in all but blood, but there were things that crossed the line. "You're trying to blackmail me, when it is, in fact, you who is being blackmailed. I don't want to ruin your life, Ginny, but I will release you if I have to."

"You can't. Not unless I..."

"I can order you to accept the release," Harry replied, calmly, stopping his pacing and staring at her. He ignored the startled gasps of the other girls.

"Harry..." Luna said.

He looked at her. "Luna?" he replied one the same tone.

"You should have been in Ravenclaw," she replied.

"Or in Slytherin," Tracey added, smiling slightly.

"I almost was. The Sorting Hat wanted to place me in Slytherin. Had I known you then, I wouldn't have begged it to put me in Gryffindor," he answered honestly, glancing at Tracey and Pansy, before locking eyes with Ginny once again. "I will not have you ordering me, I will not have you mothering me, I will not have you raise your voice against the others. You will work with them, get along with them, and honor them, as they will do the same for you. Those are the terms, and the others have no problems with them... as these last few days have shown. What is your decision?"

Ginny swallowed, and slowly sunk into a chair. "You... I..."

He knelt down in front of her, and put one hand on her knee. "It is a big change, one you have been put into. It was why I did not want to accept the contract. For you, used to being the only girl, used to getting your way one way or another, this will be a big change. You're not the only girl here. In fact, you are girl number five. You had the misfortune to join later than the others... and your temper is not making you quick friends. In fact, this is the first real fight I've had..."

"That's because we're all sweethearts," Susan said with a devilish grin. "Plus, none of us had that Gryffindor hate thing going against us."

"Hate thing?" Ginny asked. She rather liked Susan.

"Gryffindors seem to hate Slytherins on principle. In fact, it's strange that Harry doesn't hate us," Tracey said.

"Pf," Harry scoffed. "Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. We're all the same." He rubbed the bridge of his nose, glad to see that Ginny had at least calmed down, and seemed to be accepting her position. He started pacing again, the restlessness of the fight overtaking him once more.

"Is everything OK, Harry?" Pansy asked with a frown, seeing him resume his pacing.

He shook his head agitatedly. "I can't seem to calm down," he grunted. "Just that thought of Malfoy, and the things he said..."

"You took care of him, Harry," Pansy said, gently. "And you should ignore the things he said about me."

"Some part of me wishes I had strangled him," Harry muttered darkly, his pacing sharp and jerky. He glanced at the girls. "What do you girls do to calm down?" he asked, thinking that he might as well ask for some advice. "Somehow, I don't think that reading more hieroglyphs is going to help this time."

"Might I suggest cuneiform?" Luna said, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

Harry's mouth quirked, and a small glimmer of humor lit up his face. "You little devil," he told her affectionately. She beamed at him.

"As to relaxing... I brush my hair," Luna then went on. "I used to need it quite often, after things went missing, or I was tripped..."

Pansy, still sitting in the couch with Luna, with an empty, Harry-shaped hole in the middle, scooted over, and actually draped an arm around the Ravenclaw. "Harry won't let it happen again," she said with conviction. "If he'll stand up for me, he'll stand up for all of us."

Harry shook his head. "Don't put yourself down like that, Pansy," he said, gently. He cocked his head, and looked at Luna. That waist-length blond hair did look like it was fun to play with. Plus, it was really warm, too, as he had felt half of it over him when he woke up this morning.

"Would you mind if I had a go at it? Worst it can do is affect my masculinity," Harry asked with a small smile.

Luna shrugged, and silently asked Pansy to shift over a bit, so Harry could sit down behind her as she turned to one side. Drawing a brush out of thin air, she presented it to Harry. "Be my guest," she invited.

Harry smiled widely, sat down, grabbed the brush, and enthusiastically went after Luna's lush hair. The blond smiled slightly, and offered small pieces of advice to Harry, who actually looked like an attentive student, as he soon was brushing the long, copious hair as if he had been doing it all his life.

It was nearly half an hour later that Luna called it quits, saying her hair had never been brushed so long before. Harry, having gotten the taste for this kind of thing, and rather enjoying the fact that he could do something _for_ his girls, looked around. "Anyone else?"

Susan grinned, and eagerly took Luna's side. Releasing the large braid she kept her hair in, she looked at Harry. "Luna taught you to brush. After you're done with mine, I'll teach you to braid."

"It's a deal!" Harry said, grinning, and setting the brush to Susan's chestnut-brown hair. Fifteen minutes later, she was teaching him braiding charms. Grinning like a fool, he tried each and every one. The others laughed along with Harry and Susan as her hair took on many different styles, all of them glad to see that Harry's mood had turned for the better. Ginny remained somewhat quiet, but during the evening, she started to open up.

Much to everyone's shock, she actually apologized to Pansy when the evening was coming to a close. Pansy, as shocked as everyone, had managed to stammer out an acceptance.

"Why don't you stay down?" Luna asked when Harry made to climb the stairs to the boy's dormitory.

"Last night, you tricked me," Harry said, smiling slightly. "This time, I'm not tired enough for that."

She smiled at him. "That's an explanation for yesterday. I meant for today... why don't you stay down?"

"Because it's not right, is it? A guy sleeping in the same bed with five beautiful young women."

"Did something happen last night?" Luna asked, seriously.

"No... not really," he admitted.

"And you admitted this morning that it was the best night's sleep you've had," Luna went on.

"True," Harry was forced to admit. ""But I still wouldn't want to be taking advantage of you," he said.

"If there's anyone who's taking advantage, it's us," Luna said, smiling wide. She extended her hand. "Come on, Harry. Join us. You're not forcing anyone. If it makes it easier for you, tell yourself we're five devilish women , and we tricked you again."

The other girls laughed. Harry grinned, took her hand. "Alright, Luna."

Soon, he found himself, once again, on his back in the middle of the large bed. Susan squeezed against him to his right, and he put his arm around her. "Fancy seeing you here, Miss Bones," he muttered.

"Just because Luna and Tracey want you to ravish them, doesn't mean that I won't mind sharing you," she said, grinning. He chuckled slightly.

To his surprise, Pansy squeezed in on his left. "Pansy?" he asked, surprised. "I thought..."

"Please, Harry?" she asked with a small voice. He smiled reassuringly at her, and put his other arm around her.

"You're safe, Pansy. Don't let yourself be forced-"

She put her finger against his lips, shutting him up, and kissed his cheek. "Good night, Potter."

He grinned, recognizing the banter. "Good night, Parkinson. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

"If they do, you'll chase them away," the Slytherin muttered, pressing closer against him. He shook his head, then startled when Susan grabbed hold of his head, and kissed his other cheek.

"I'm not about to let Pansy one-up me," the Hufflepuff said with a grin, pressing closer on Harry's other side.

"Hey, no fair," Luna said, looking up from over Susan's back.

"You had your chance yesterday," Susan replied cheekily.

"Girls, girls," Harry muttered. "There is more than enough Harry for all of you."

"Prat," Tracey said, affectionately, as she leaned over Pansy, and kissed Harry's cheek. Luna laughed, reached over Susan, and kissed the other cheek. Harry grinned, for one rather enjoying the physical closeness to such a bunch of girls. They actually made it look and feel as if they were the ones taking advantage of him... if only he didn't enjoy bantering playfully back and forth with them like this.

"Come on, girls," Ginny all but begged. "Please?"

"What do you think, Luna?" Tracey asked, actually sounding deadly serious, if only the twinkle in her eyes didn't give her away. Harry reflected on the fact that he had started to read these girls pretty well.

"I don't know, Tracey," Luna replied. "I mean, this _is_ only her first night..."

"Please? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?" Ginny begged.

"If you promise to be good," Luna said.

"I promise!" Ginny promised. Soon, Harry felt another, rather chaste, kiss fall on one of his cheeks.

"Good night, Ginny," he said, grinning slightly. "Good night Luna, Susan, Pansy, Tracey."

"Good night, Harry!" all five girls chorused, and Harry chuckled as he felt the warmth of the physical closeness sooth him to sleep. It look like another great night...

_(a)I have come and avenged my own body. I have made myself strong._

_(b)Homage to you, O these gods! I, even I know you. I know your names. Do not cast me down to your slaughtering knives, do not bring forward my wickedness before this god. Whom ye follow him, let not come my moment before you._

_(c)Destroyed before his judgment and before his punishment!_


	3. Chapter 3

**The Poker Game**

Harry Potter and the others do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this, and I wouldn't be short on cash.

In this story, I'm making some assumptions on the value of the Galleon. Seeing as we are generally rather uninformed about prices in the wizarding world, I'm basing my assumptions on the end of book four. Harry gave Fred and George 1000 Galleons to open the joke shop. Assuming that the twins had some money of they own, and the money was enough to cover rent for at least a few months, as well as getting stock, inventory, and doing testing of various items, I'm assuming that 5000 Galleons is enough to buy a small house in the country, and 10,000 would get you a reasonably sized house.

_The Poker Game – an HP shortfic by Enterprise1701d and Joshua The Evil Guy_

**Chapter Three**

It was a new day, Tuesday in fact, if he kept his internal calendar correct.

With a sigh of ultimate contentment, Harry stretched a bit in his bed, feeling an omnipresent warmth that permeated his body throughout. It wasn't until he stretched and felt two living, human, and _female_ bodies turn further into him, and heard several soft feminine moans that he really woke up. If he were fully awake, he might associate the sounds with that of pleasure and satisfaction. As it was, Harry froze solid the moment he realized what had happened.

Well, at least still only Hermione can see us, he allowed himself to think, until he felt a third body roll against him. That didn't really bother him too much until Hermione's sharp voice cracked out, "Harry Potter!"

That snapped Harry's eyes wide open and a quick silent gesture had his glasses in hand and then on his face. Hermione was standing at the foot of the bed, looking as cross as he'd ever seen her, face very McGonagall-like, and her hands on hips while foot was tapping away.

"Morning 'Mione," he mumbled sleepily, not bothering to correct his position any further as he didn't want to risk waking the girls. Speaking of which...

"And what's all this, Harry?" Hermione spoke archly, with an imprecise gesture.

"What's all what?" he asked innocently, and sleepily.

Hermione merely repeated her gesture and Harry finally allowed himself to examine his latest sleeping arrangements. On his right was, still sleeping soundly Susan Bones, spooning herself against his body, her head resting in the crook of his arm, a face of utter peace covering her expression. On his left was a likewise peaceful looking Pansy Parkinson. She was still wearing her full-body nightgown, and was using his chest as her pillow, but somehow she was spooned with Tracey Davies, who was on her left, instead of with him. Spooned up against Susan's back was a wide-awake Luna, who had been the one to hand Harry his glasses, and she was sharing in Harry's innocent, yet sleepy look. That was when the third body against Harry moved again, eliciting another feminine moan as well and Harry suddenly found Ginny Weasley sprawled across the top of all five of them.

It was really quite amazing, his sleepy brain was fascinated, how the younger red-haired girl just seemed to spread herself out and was covering all of them like a second blanket, and without causing a bit of discomfort even. It was almost, peripherally, like her body was made to fit into each of theirs for the perfect fit. But that kind of thing didn't happen in real life, did it?

"A bed?" Harry tried to answer Hermione's question, feeling it was way too early for a quiz, even for a Tuesday.

His bushy brown-haired friend let out a huff of annoyance, gestured again, but said, "Why do I find you out here, _again_, Harry, when you've said yourself that you won't be taking advantage of this... this situation!"

"We talked him into it of course, Hermione," Luna answered for him.

"Oh it's you again," Tracey grumbled, having woken up and seen Hermione standing at the end of their bed.

The others began to stir a bit as well, Ginny curling up into a ball that fit perfectly against Harry's chest, Pansy tugging Tracey back against her when the other Slytherin girl had tried sitting up, and Susan snuggling closer to Harry while Luna comfortably answered Hermione's questions while laying in a bed with four other girls and a teenage boy one year older than her.

Stunned by this, Hermione spent several moments stuttering out a protest or two, but even she could see that the sleepy group wasn't really paying any attention to her. When Ginny moved around a little bit more, pulling down the covers enough to show that with the exception of Pansy and Susan, who're wearing their same fully covering dressing gowns, all of the other girls are wearing identical sleeveless silk pajamas, which had a tendency to ride up from their at-the-knee position when lying in bed.

Gulping a bit at seeing her friend, Harry, awash in this temptation and not only being quite blasé about it, but treating the girls with the respect of acknowledging that he would leave them be at any time they wished him to, Hermione was thrown for quite a loop. Taking a deep breath, she finally just announced that it was time for them all to get up as soon other Gryffindors would be coming down, and then she hurriedly left them to go and take her morning shower. This one without hot water.

00000

Down in the Slytherin Dormitories, Daphne Greengrass was also just waking up, from her two hour nap. She had been up most of the night writing letters and instructions and writing up a single document. That single document still was not finished yet and would take a great deal more work, but it was shaping up quite nicely.

Seeing that she still had a few hours before breakfast was fully over with, let alone began, she hurriedly put on her robes and took most of the documentation she'd written up the night before to the school owlery and employed the fastest owl that was there and sent it off to do her business. Two of the letters it carried were bound for Gringotts, three were for separate landholders and investors, one was for the family solicitor, and another two were for a private solicitor, one of those was hiring said private lawyer as her very own, the other was to be delivered by same lawyer to her family no sooner than the next morning.

Once that chore was done, she quickly raced to the Great Hall for some quick breakfast, taking most of it with her back to the dungeons where she went back to working on the most important document that Daphne had ever before handled, let alone wrote herself.

A couple hours later, she was still working on it, but the late night had drained her and she was hungry again. It got bad enough that it was seriously distracting her, so taking the document with her, she went back to the Great Hall and continued to work on it there, eating at the same time. Of course she hadn't paid much attention earlier when she'd only grabbed an apple and a dry biscuit, so it was no wonder she was still so hungry.

Just before breakfast ended, Daphne allowed her attention to waver just enough to see the latest drama unfolding around Gryffindor table, and the golden boy Harry Potter.

00000

Luna glanced around the Gryffindor Common Room after having transfigured her sleepwear back into her Ravenclaw school uniform. Susan was using her wand to make the bed, but since she was the privacy keeper, she was actually the only one that _could_ do anything with the bed beyond touch it. If she wanted she could even put it on the ceiling, but Luna couldn't really think of a reason why Susan would do such a thing. Luna knew of several reasons why _she_ would do it, even a few of why Tracey and even Harry would do it, but not Susan for some reason. How odd.

Seeing Ginny coming back down the stairs, she did have her own dorm and all her clothes were there anyway, Luna asked her, "Do you always sleep like that, Ginny?"

The rest all looked at her as though she had spoken completely out of the blue, which for them she had.

"Huh?" the redhead blurted, not sure how to reply.

Luna simply tilted her head as though it were an unusual answer to her question, but an answer nevertheless. "Not that there is anything wrong with the way you sleep. Quite the opposite, really, I found it to be a very comfortable experience and I believe it was even better than the night before with just four girls and Harry. Perhaps the more girls we add to Harry's collection, the better it will feel when we all sleep together in the same bed? Hm."

Ginny, still confused by her friend's questions, just shrugged, not sure what else to do. Besides, she was still feeling a bit down from what Harry had said to her yesterday. Not that she was angry with him about it, rather that he had said several things she knew to be true and was feeling somewhat guilty about how she had acted the day before.

The other girls, however, were still reacting to Luna's last observations. Susan and Pansy had paled significantly at the idea of sleeping in the same bed with Harry and even _more_ girls. Tracey, on the other hand, got a gleam in her eyes that made the others somewhat nervous and grinned like a... well, like a Slytherin.

"I don't know, Luna," said Tracey as she moved to sit in one of the available couches. For some reason, the others slowly drifted around her, Pansy sitting on her right, Susan and Ginny to her left while Luna sat across from her in a plush chair as though she were paying attention in class to a Professor. "I suppose it would be something we'd have to look into, but you know Harry. He would never let just any girl join us in bed, while we sleep," she added for the sake of the others.

"The only logical recourse would then be to not give Harry the choice to deny the additional girls," Luna continued with a straight face. Tracey's grin grew somewhat infectious, the Slytherin girl picking up where the Ravenclaw girl left off. "And it would be very hard to convince just any girl to help us with our experiment, after all, not everyone enjoys sleeping in strange beds with other people."

"Wait a minute here," Ginny interrupted, having followed the by-play so far and was disturbed by where her thoughts had lead her just from what she'd heard already. "You two can't be planning to bring even _more_ girls in on this Slave Contract business, can you?"

"Slave Contract?" the girls all repeated, even Luna.

"Harry won me, Luna, Susan, and Pansy in a Poker game, Ginny," Tracey explained.

"I offered myself freely, because I thought it would be fun. And because I knew Malfoy didn't have the cards to beat me, but Harry was an unexpected bonus," Luna airily discussed.

"I was drunk off my arse, and five thousand in the hole," Susan grunted with a heavy blush.

"Did you, by any chance, happen to discuss terms when you bet yourselves away?" Ginny asked with a growing sense of dread. She may have known Harry for longer and she obviously couldn't count on that to curry favor from him, but if what they were telling her was true, she could be in a lot worse shape than she first knew.

"Malfoy was the one to bring up the term 'Indentured Servant' and mentioned the price of four thousand galleons," Tracey answered her.

"Indentured Servant? That's what you all are? Harry's bound servants?" she asked, her voice leading a bit towards panic.

"Basically, why?" Pansy finally asked.

"Wait right here," was all the response they got as a red blur flew back up the stairs to the dorms. Moments later she came back down, carrying a rolled parchment in her hand. "This is the Magical Contract that was sent to me by the Ministry." She handed it to Luna first, who took one look at it, and then did something no one had ever seen her do. She frowned.

"Harry did not sign this," she observed, her voice oddly intense all of a sudden.

"Neither did I, but read the clause near the top," the redhead pointed.

"The Verbal Agreement Clause," Luna identified. "This states in no uncertain terms that you are not Harry's Indentured Servant, one that he can order to do anything and command as one might with their property, but his outright slave, and once both of your signatures are on it, which they are, all of your rights as a human being are abolished and Harry can do with you as he pleases. Even sell you to someone else, where you would then be their slave. In fact, there is even a sub-clause here that states that once this Contract is in Full Effect, as it is now in fact, there are only three ways that it can be negated and you no longer be a slave. Four in rather unique circumstances, if you look at it from a certain way."

"That's impossible! The Ministry doesn't just go around enforcing slavery! Well, not _true_ slavery!" Susan protested. "Indentured Servitude is bad enough, but after a few years service, you're actually paid for the time and allowed to return to a normal life! There haven't been any actual slaves in the wizarding world since more than five hundred years ago!"

"What about House Elves?" Hermione suddenly broke in on the conversation.

"They don't count," Tracey interjected before any of the others could, "They aren't human and they enjoy their lot in life. Well, most of them do. A few are better with a different master. But there have not been _human_ slaves for actually well over a thousand years! Who gave you this contract?"

"Well, there's no proof," Ginny answered, "but Harry and I think that it was started by Malfoy, because apparently, any Pureblood Families that owe Life Debts to each other, their youngest members suddenly got a Contract exactly like that, probably at the same time that I got mine."

"What are we talking about here...?" Hermione's voice trailed off as she looked over Luna's shoulder at Ginny's contract. "This can't be right! According to this, Ginny, you're actually Harry's slave! And from what I'm reading, the only way you or he can change that is if... Oh my god!"

"Is if you die, he dies, you both die, or he marries you as his Bride," Luna finished for the insensate Gryffindor behind her.

"Ah, four ways," Tracey acknowledged what Luna had said earlier.

"Harry's going to be pissed," Susan finally observed.

"With us, all he'd have to do is agree to allow us to wait on him hand and foot until a year after we all graduate and he would be able to call our contracts fulfilled and we could move on with our lives," Pansy said. "But Ginny..."

"Not to mention all the others that were caught up in this," the redhead reminded them. "I got lucky, in a way. But think about all the others out there that suddenly find themselves the slaves of another Pureblood family. At least I know Harry, and he treats me just like a little sister. I seriously doubt that everyone else out there was as fortunate."

"Ginny, can I borrow this for a few days?" Hermione grabbed the contract out of Luna's hand. "I need to do some research in the Library." With that she was gone, not to emerge for who knows how long.

"Shouldn't you be worried?" Pansy asked her fellow servant/slave.

"Actually, for the first time since I got that ruddy Contract, I feel relieved," Ginny answered. "I've only seen Hermione look like that a few times now, and always when a friend was on the line. There's a reason she's the Smart One of the Gryffindor Trio, y'know."

"I wouldn't worry about it Ginny," Luna said suddenly, "You and Harry will be married long before he decides to sell you. Although, afterwards I can't say if he sells you to one of his other wives, or if one of us manages to buy you from him..."

The rest of the girls decided to quickly grab Harry to go down to breakfast, rather than contemplate Luna's statement. Although Ginny herself wasn't sure to be flushing bright red, or to be paler than a sheet at the moment, so she just settled for a slightly green look that seemed to match as none of the others could blame her.

00000

At breakfast, once again Harry found himself surrounded by all of his... by the girls. Luna, at his right hand, Tracey at his left, each trying to feed him while at the same time playing with any long or phallic-shaped food. Not to mention the stuff out of the fruit basket!

Across from him was Susan, Pansy, and Ginny, the latter of which was still looking a bit green, but when he'd asked her about it earlier, he'd been rebuffed, saying that it was nothing he had to worry about. Luna had then made some innocuous comment that suddenly had him thinking it had to do with "female problems" and he dropped it like a hot coal and nobody bothered to correct his thinking.

Beyond keeping his servants from treating him like some chubby toddler in a high-chair, breakfast was largely mild and pleasant. Until shortly after he'd finished, Professor McGonagall walked in and asked to speak with him for a moment.

"Sure, Professor," he said, looking up at her form his position at the table. He was maintaining a polite demeanor, yet at the same time, he took a piece of toast, and bit into it. The Professor didn't seem to mind at the moment, though.

"I'd like you to come with me, Mr. Potter," McGonagall stated, her voice dropping an octave, while her mouth and eyes tightened.

Harry blinked. "What is it about, Professor?" he asked, still politely, as he glanced around. "I'm kinda having breakfast, and these are the best times for me to get to know my new family."

Luna merely smiled serenely, while the other girls blinked and stared at Harry, not expecting those words out of him.

"It is quite important, Mr. Potter. It concerns Draco Malfoy. Now, kindly come with me, please," his professor stated, her tone exactly the same as it had been before... which was a good sign, apparently his explanation had refrained from angering her further.

Harry frowned, and looked up at her. "Malfoy? What about him?"

"Apparently, you are the prime suspect in a hexing that took place here upon him, Mr. Crabbe, and Mr. Goyle. You are to come with me so we can discuss this event and any punishments necessary." She _was_ getting angry now.

Harry drew a breath, then let it out. "The _alleged_ attacks upon Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, enacted _allegedly_ by me," he stated, calmly. He relaxed in his seat, smiled at Luna, and accepted the juicy piece of orange she was holding out for him. He smiled his thanks at her while he chewed, slowly and deliberately.

"Do not play games with me, Mr. Potter. The wards have detected a huge outburst of magic coming from _your_ magical core, right where we discovered Messrs Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. You will come with me, or I will deduct one hundred points from Gryffindor and have you in detention until graduation." Harry looked up at her, and was about to say something, when McGonagall cut him off. "_Luna's_ Graduation!"

That implied a threat that she would keep him back a year. He drew a breath, and stood up.

"Professor McGonagall," he stated, calmly. She blinked at him, having expected him to either grow quiet and introspective, or verbally abusive. "It is true. I did it. However, _they_ struck the first blow. They attacked one of these girls... these fine young women that have been gracing my life for these last few days. And that... _that_, Professor, is an act I can not, and will not, forgive. Should you wish to punish me, by all means, do so. Know that I am not at fault, and will never accept any punishment handed out."

He drew another breath. "I have the weight of the world on my shoulders, Professor. I will not speak the reason out loud, but you know it as well as I do. If you do not, speak to the Headmaster, tell him he should explain things, for if he does not, I will. Now, I find myself not only responsible for my own life, but for the lives of these fine young women. And I take my responsibilities seriously. I will defend them against attacks, I will defend them against slanders. That's more than anyone had ever done for me, and I will not push another into a position I have been in." He sat down, and smiled at Tracey, accepting the piece of apple she was still holding out, even though she was frozen with a look of shock on her face.

"Thanks, Tracey," he said, as he chewed.

"Mr. Potter, that is enough!"

He froze, then swallowed, and slowly stood up. He felt his anger rising and his temper boiling. Drawing a breath, he tried to force it back into submission. He looked at her... _glared_ at her.

"For the first time in my life, I have someone to care for, someone to live for... someone to kill for. I have a family now, Professor. And even though I know I'm deluding myself, I don't want it to end! For the first time in my life, I feel loved, and that is something that is as much your fault, as it is Dumbledore's, as it is Voldemort's. You all abandoned me in a loveless home." He balled his fists, even though his voice was still even, yet the entire Great Hall was silent now, watching the confrontation play out.

Suddenly, he felt his wand in his hand. He looked down at it, not understanding how it had gotten there. The tips of it was glowing a dull, murky red. He looked up at McGonagall again. She was looking pale now. The entire Great Hall watched with baited breath as Harry seemed to _inflate_, they could feel the magic within him straining and pulsing.

" If you think, for one minute, one moment, that I will let ANYONE hurt ANY of these young women that are under MY protection, then you have another thing coming," he stated, coldly, feeling the power of his words increase along with the magic that pulsed through his veins.

He glared around the silent Great Hall, wand-tip glowing. "The next one to raise a hand, a wand, or a voice, against ANY of these young women... will meet the business end of my wand. And Malfoy will have seemed to get off LIGHTLY after I'm through with you!"

He looked back at McGonagall. "I will not permit this. Not anymore," he whispered, the whisper carrying on the winds of magic. "For years I was the outcast. A couple of friends. No family. My parents killed by Voldemort. My Godfather killed by Lestrange. Nothing was safe, nothing was sacred. I have been slandered in the press and in the wizarding world, I have been beaten, I have been attacked, and I have nearly been killed on a dozen separate occasions." He glared at Snape before looked back to McGonagall. "I have been the target of malevolent treatment." He swallowed. His wand-tip was glowing white. The magic was now pulsing so heatedly that his hair was ebbing and flowing.

"Do with me as you will," he stated, coldly. "But do not touch these women. Touch them, and I will kill you. You and anyone else. They are my family, and I will die before I let anyone hurt them in the way I have been hurt, in the way I have been slandered, or in the way my parents and godfather were killed." He glared around the Great Hall, his green eyes glowing with repressed energies. The house banners were flapping in the magical wind. Nobody spoke a word.

Drawing a deep breath, Harry tried to relax. Tried, and failed. He turned, making to sit down.

McGonagall was silent for a few long moments, not even knowing what to say. Finally, she settled on the one question that was foremost in her mind. "What happened to you, Harry?"

Harry snorted as he sat down. "Life. Love. Friendship. Family. Those were words I knew not, Professor. I have family now. I will kill for them, I will die for them, and I will LIVE for them. And that is something I lacked my entire life. And you know what, Professor? I LIKE that feeling. I know it will not last, but for the moment I like to delude myself into thinking that it will." He stood up again, and threw a look at the breakfast table. "Goodbye, Professor. I have lost my appetite."

As Harry walked out, not even bothering to wait for an acknowledgment from the teacher, the girls looked at each other.

"He thinks it won't last?" Tracey asked.

Luna shrugged. "He's lost his parents, his godfather, at one point even his friends abandoned him," she glared at Hermione and Ron, who had the grace to look ashamed. "Can you blame him for thinking that we will leave him, too?"

Susan's hand was clenched so hard around her spoon that it warped. "I can't blame him," she whispered angrily, tears in her eyes. "It just means that I'll have to try harder to prove things different."

Luna looked at the group, receiving similar looks from the others. "We all will," she told the Hufflepuff. She looked then at the door. "We all will..." she repeated, voice trailing off.

At that moment, Dumbledore had stood up from his position at the High Table, and was walking down the center isle of the Great Hall, his face troubled. It was obvious what his goal was.

"Headmaster," Luna said, standing up. The old man stopped, and looked at her.

"Miss Lovegood?"

"What are you going to tell him?" she asked, not even bothering to ask what he was going to do, not even giving him a _chance_ to deny it.

"I am going to talk to a troubled young man," Dumbledore said, no longer sounding like the world's most powerful wizard, but rather, like a tired old man.

"I hope you are not thinking about either punishing him, or yelling at him," Luna went on, suddenly drawing her wand from behind her right ear. Even though it was held limply in between her fingers, and pointing loosely at the ground, the action in itself spoke volumes.

"A lot has happened to young Harry," Dumbledore said, "but, unfortunately, the rules must be followed by all."

Luna opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off. "Then you will need to move through me," Pansy said in the quiet of the Great Hall. As she spoke, she stood up, her wand visible in her hand. Like Luna's, it was pointing at the ground. "Yesterday, I saw a young man I belittled, made fun of, and hurt over the last six years standing between me and a spell. I saw that young man, not hesitate for one moment, and shield me from three _maniacs_ attempting to hurt me. I can do no less. Headmaster, Harry saved my life. He does not deserve this, and you know it."

The old man sagged.

"Harry saved my life when I was but eleven, and nothing more than his best friend's annoying kid sister," Ginny said, immediately picking up after Pansy dropped off. She, too, got to her feet, her wand in her hand, pointing at the ground. "He was only twelve, but fought for _my_ life. Like Pansy said, I can do no less." She glanced at the Slytherin girl, and a connection formed. The Gryffindor fifth year and the Slytherin sixth year nodded at each other, strengthening each other's resolve.

"Huffepuffs are known for their friendship, and renowned for their loyalty," Susan said, standing up, not letting the Headmaster say anything. Her wand, too, was pointing at the ground. "Harry refused to step away from Cedric. He stood by him, and brought him back. _Nobody got left behind_," she stated with conviction. "These last few days have shown me the man behind what the media and the wizarding world have made of him, and it has convinced me of many things... and I owe him my loyalty, my friendship, and my love. I, too, will stand for him."

Tracey grinned, stood, drew her wand. "I've known for a while that Harry could not be what public opinion made him out to be. Either he was lionized or vilified, sometimes within weeks of each other." She glanced around the Great Hall. "Even in this school, horrible bias has been shown. Within these walls, you were immune if your name is Snape or Malfoy, and you were punished when your name is Potter. A young man who is so utterly alone that he hardly sleeps at night has the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. For the kindness he shows, the friendship he gives, and the absolute selflessness with which he gives it, I, too, will stand before him."

Ron and Hermione, as well as most of the Gryffindors, were about to stand up at the same time when Dumbledore finally spoke.

"I believe you have made your point," he spoke, looking like a frail old man now. "I believe that I will spare Harry the use of one of his 'Get out of Detention Free' passes, and drop any punishment concerning yesterday's attacks."

"Headmaster!" Snape yelled. "You can not be serious! That boy attacked three members of my house..."

"_Allegedly_ attacked," Luna spoke, gently, calmly.

"He _admitted_ it!" Snape snarled, practically foaming at the mouth.

"Yes, Severus, he admitted it. He admitted to defending someone who has become his immediate family. He acted without reservation to himself, putting himself up like a human shield to defend one he cared for, without asking for anything in return, without hesitation. I believe not only that we can talk about a case of self-protection, but bravery such as that should be rewarded, not punished." He nodded to himself. "I am awarding Harry Potter and Gryffindor House fifty points for defense of another, without regard for personal safety. I will further award twenty points each to Luna Lovegood, Pansy Parkinson, Ginny Weasley, Susan Bones, and Tracey Davies, for defending one of their friends, _also_ without reservation, and across from House divisions."

Without further words, the aging Headmaster swept around, and strode out of the Great Hall, leaving a room full of gaping students, a couple of smirking teachers, and one foaming former Potions Master.

00000

Harry was sitting in the back of the Library again, this time pouring over a much thicker volume of Ancient Runes. Still with the Hieroglyphs and large pictures that he could make up stories about, but he'd been sitting there most of the morning by now and he'd barely gotten a tenth of the way through it, where he'd finished that first book in only three days of studying it. Not that he really considered what he was doing _studying_.

"I am glad to see you are making good use of that restricted pass," Dumbledore spoke gently as he stood before Harry's table. The boy sighed.

"Are you going to yell at me?" he asked.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not unless you would like me to, Harry," he said, gently. "May I sit down?"

Harry motioned for the chair. "Please."

The Headmaster smiled gratefully, and with a relieved sigh fell into the chair. "My old body is not as it used to be," he said. "Harry, it has been brought to my attention... quite forcefully... that I have been very remiss in my treatment of you."

Harry remained silent, jut nodding with confirmation. "I have come to offer my deepest apologies."

"Who explained it to you, Headmaster? I hope it wasn't that little speech I gave earlier," Harry said, coolly.

"I would suggest keeping those fine young women under your care happy, Harry. I believe they were most displeased with me, and I would not care to wish their ire upon Voldemort," Dumbledore said. The old man sighed. "Harry, I am sorry for what happened, for placing you with the Dursleys, even for your treatment here at Hogwarts. One of the many faults your new family chose to point out was the unfair treatment of you, where people named Snape or Malfoy could get away with anything, while you had no such protection. Could you ever forgive an old man the mistakes he made?"

Harry was silent for long minutes. "I don't know, Headmaster," he finally spoke. Albus Dumbledore sagged in the uncomfortable chair. "I have a family now. I have to protect them. I've lost too many people already... and I can not go around thinking about what will happen to me the next time I decide to defend them. Because, make no mistake, Headmaster... I will defend them." He sighed. "I don't care what happens to me, but they _will _remain safe. I don't think I can accept your apology until I know that you will have my back should I be forced to do so."

"You will not be punished for yesterday. In fact, I have just awarded you fifty points, and twenty points to each of your girls, for their defense of you," Dumbledore said.

"What about next time, Headmaster?" Harry asked, smiling a small, grateful smile before hiding it once more. "What about the next time someone decides to take a pot-shot at a member of my family? Will I need to get angry again, tell off one of my teachers, and sic the young ladies on you in order to justify my actions?"

"I can not condone senseless violence, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"You know me, Headmaster. I do _not_ initiate fights. I merely _finish_ them. You should know that by now."

"You are also known to having a short temper."

Harry snorted. "When I lose my temper, I shout things, might even throw or kick some stuff around the room, but I can honestly say that I have never hurt another in sheer temper. In fact, yesterday was only the second time I have ever hurt someone out of anger."

Dumbledore was silent. "May I ask who was the first?"

Harry was silent, and studied the old man. "I am going to trust you with this, Headmaster," he said. "Last year, I used _crucio_ on Lestrange. She laughed at me, and told me that righteous anger wasn't enough. Best lesson in the Unforgivables I ever got."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. Now it was his turn to remain silent for quite a while. Harry just sat, waiting him out. "I will defend you should you employ magic in the defense of those you consider family, as well as yourself. However... I can not do so should you employ an Unforgivable."

Harry smirked sadistically then, and thumped the book he had been reading. "Don't worry, Headmaster. I have better things at my disposal, as I am sure Professor McGonagall has already explained." The smirk vanished, to be replaced by a normal smile. "I accept your apology, Headmaster."

Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you, Harry. I will leave you to your endeavor."

Harry dipped his head, re-opening his book. "Just out of curiosity... how _i_s Professor McGonagall doing on Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle?"

"I believe the correct term would be... frustrated," Dumbledore allowed with a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes. "Enjoy your literature, Harry."

"Thank you, Headmaster, I do believe I shall," Harry replied with a grin. "Good day."

"And to you, Harry," Dumbledore said, walking away, letting Harry settle back to his book.

He was just finishing up the twelfth chapter when Ronald Weasley burst upon the quiet hall with all the subtlety of a lion chasing down its prey. He wasn't roaring and shouting with every step, but nobody got in his way, and Harry felt his friend's gaze upon him before even looking up from the Ancient Rune tome. The conversation with Dumbledore had left him somewhat edgy, and he hadn't been able to get back into the book the way he had wanted to.

"Hi Ron," he quietly greeted the redheaded youth. "Sit down before you make a scene, would you?"

"Harry, aren't we friends anymore?" Ron got right to the point.

"Depends on what your opinion is of me suddenly not only owning several girls, but as of yesterday afternoon, having your baby sister as one of them," Harry whispered back.

Waving that off with a snort, Ron continued, "Mum and Dad owled me about it, same time as Ginny. I was chasing down Malfoy when I'd heard what happened to him. We're gonna talk about that, but it's beside the point. Are we friends still?"

"We've never stopped being friends, Ron," said Harry. "Sure, we have a row every now and again, and there were a few points where we got so angry we didn't even talk to each other for weeks at a time, but we've never stopped being friends, and never will if I have anything to say about it."

"Good," said Ron. "Sorry about this." Then Ron punched Harry in the face.

Groaning from the pain, because as powerful a wizard as he was, Harry wasn't so used to getting hit in the face and knocked to the floor didn't still _hurt like hell_! "OK, I might've deserved that one. Judging from what's been said so far, it's because I've been ignoring you for the past few days and then I didn't tell you about what I did to Malfoy either and the first you find out about it is from McGonagall, right?"

"That," Ron nodded, "and what's happened to Ginny is just the icing on the cake. That you've suddenly got yourself a harem, whether you want it or not, is the cherry on top."

"You do know you're being an absolute prat, right?"

Ron just shrugged, then said, "Can't be helped, and I was there and I heard what you said in front of everyone. Plus, it's been almost a week, I figured you were needing the stress-relief."

"Yeah, I have. Thanks!" said Harry enthusiastically. Right before he got to his feet and tackled Ron, shoulder to the taller boy's gut. He made sure to angle it so they landed in the hall outside the Library, slamming his best friend's back into a standing piece of armor, that clattered angrily as the two brawling boys wrestled past it and down the hall to one of the many available court yards in Hogwarts.

00000

"Are they still fighting?" Hermione asked, sounding both annoyed, relieved, and exasperated, all at once.

Hannah glanced out the window, looking down into the court yard where Harry and Ron had gone from two Greco-Roman wrestlers to the more dirty Street Fighters they had become since starting at Hogwarts. She went back to the table, sitting beside Hermione in the Library and answered the bushy-haired Gryffindor, "Yeah. But it has been almost a week since they talked, and the last thing they even had to fight about was the poker game. And don't they call it 'male bonding', instead of fighting?"

"Same thing. When men fight, they either don't talk to each other, when it's very serious, or they wait about a day, or less, then vent their frustrations with their fists, get drunk, and in the morning they're as close as brothers once more. Only difference, Harry and Ron aren't allowed to get drunk, hence, fighting," explained Hermione, distracted by what she had in front of her. Which was actually everything the Hogwarts Library and Records had on the subject of Magical Contracts, in all forms and examples. It was surprisingly smaller than Hermione expected it to be, although it was still a small mountain of paperwork, filling a table that was at least a quarter-length of the Main House Tables in the Great Hall. "Oh, this is no help at all!" she cried, suddenly frustrated.

"Hey, I want to help my friend be free too, y'know," Hannah protested Hermione's sudden frustration. "Let me help you out, Smart Girl. It's the _least_ I can do! How about I start by helping you organize this mess!"

"Thanks, Hannah," said Hermione, and together the girls started to gather and try and organizing the piles and piles of paperwork, books, scrolls, and even Post-It-Notes of I.O.U.s! It seems that while the Wizarding world was practically built upon the creation and execution of Magical Contracts and Wizard Oaths and Life Debts, there was really only a single source of what a Magical Contract was for; to enslave one wizard or witch to another. For some reason, muggles were actually exempt from Magical Contracts, unless they were muggle-born, meaning that they had the potential to _become_ a wizard or witch. They were seen as "beneath the Wizarding world" in general and while the wizards of old tried to treat muggles as second-class citizens and slaves in general, the facts became that there were far many more muggles than wizards and the latter relied more on magic and enslaving the even fewer magical creatures in the world than focusing on ways of enslaving muggles to do the same work.

Unfortunately, at the precise moment when neither Hannah, nor Hermione were watching, one of the "example" Contracts that Hermione had copied out of a book to closer examine it, slipped off of the table and on the gentle breeze of a rushing Ravenclaw, floated over the railings and down into the general Library, only to finally come to rest on top of another stack of papers on another desk below.

Ravenclaws are always in the Library, and given than classes were still going on for some students, they tended to rush to and from the Library at all times of the day. Given it's precarious perch it from where it landed, it didn't take many more fast-paced Ravenclaws to dislodge the Contract and send it tumbling on gentle currents of air through the Library once more. Somebody opened up the window, a window that opened out upon the courtyard where Harry and Ron were still... "bonding", and all it took was the right person rushing by at the right moment to send the Contract out that open window and down into the courtyard below.

Mere moments from it being crushed into the muddy grass, a preoccupied Gryffindor Third-Year walked right into it, the Contract plastering to the poor student's face. Sputtering slightly, he quickly peeled it off and tossed it over his shoulder, quickly going back to paying attention to the fight. They were going all out for this one!

At that precise moment, Ravenclaw Seeker, Cho Chang just happened to be walking behind the Third-Year Gryffindor, more than a little preoccupied herself as she watched Harry and Ron exchanging heavy blows as they began to work up a sweat. Seeing that she _was_ a Ravenclaw, Cho of course had an arm full of books and parchment in her arms, and the Contract had flown so seamlessly into said arms that she didn't even notice the addition of it to her load.

At her side, Marietta Edgecomb was trying to bring her distracted friend back to the present. "Cho! Look, never mind, I just need you to sign this note so that Professor Flitwick knows you'll be coming with me during the next Hogsmeade trip! Cho!"

"What? Oh, all right! What is it you need me to sign?" she finally tore her eyes from the now sweating boys for only a moment to glance at her friend. "Here," was all Marietta said as she shoved the note on top of her friend's books, and likewise shoved the spelled quill into her hand as well.

Cho turned her attention to signing the note, until it was distracted once again by a sudden exclamation from the crowd, drawing Cho's eyes back to the fight. As such, she did not see how her hand trailed a bit north of the note and unfortunately she kept her eyes upwards as she unconsciously signed her full name in the general area on the Contract that was set aside for identifying the _Subject_ of the Contract. Marietta yelled at her again, and not seeing that she'd already signed her name with permanent ink on a Magical Contract, she turned her focus to signing Marietta's note and then handing both back to her friend before turning immediately back to the raw display of masculine power. What can she say? She's a sucker for the macho types.

When Cho decided to sit down on a bench, much later, she still hadn't even glanced at the Contract, and as it was, she didn't notice when a stray breeze picked it up off her stack of books and floated off down a corridor and then into an open classroom, Professor McGonagall's Transfiguaration classroom in fact, and finally down onto a stack of papers on the Professor's desk.

Later that afternoon, the Professor in question came into her classroom, seeming in a bit of a hurry, which she was, between Malfoy and his stooges partial transfigurations that she _still_ cannot reverse, her argument with Harry that morning, and her normal duties as both a teaching professor and the Deputy-Headmistress, she was in very much of a hurry. So she could be forgiven for not noticing the wayward Contract in the stack of papers that she grabbed. Some of them papers to be graded, others reports for the Headmaster, memos for other Professors, and a few that were important papers that she needed specific students to sign, such as the Gryffindor Quidditch Team Captain.

She found him at Lunch, sporting a few fading bruises and hair that was even wilder than usual, surrounded once more by his entourage of servants. Saying only a few words in regards to their... disagreement from the morning, she just had him quickly sign the forms she needed him to, feeling quite flustered after everything, and distracted by a few minor rule infractions she'd just witnessed on the other side of the Hall. When she finally noticed that Harry had actually signed _three_ of the papers in her stack, she exclaimed, "Mr. Potter, you don't have to sign _everything_, simply the requisition form for reserving the Quidditch Pitch for the season! Thank you, now... wait, what's this?"

Somebody had finally noticed the Contract and recognized it for what it was. Unfortunately, as Professor McGonagall was discovering even as she read the entire document, (causing her own name to appear in the 'Witness' section), the Binding Slave/Bound Servant Magical Contract had already been signed and magically sealed as the Transfiguration Professor fulfilled that clause by reading it and witnessing that the Subject and Owner fields were both written in with full names. The Subject field was signed "Cho Chang" while the Owner field was signed "Harry James Potter" and even as she read it, the Witness field was scratched out with her own name, and title.

"Oh, dear heavens!" the woman cried out.

00000

After hearing about what had happened in the Library and how Ron was helping to cheer Harry up from his encounter earlier this morning, Luna decided to employ her position as Harry's "First" to make some headway on a little project that had been plaguing her ever since this whole Contract mess began. She tracked down each of her sister-servants, unfortunately both Susan and Pansy had to attend several classes that kept them from joining her. Ginny and Tracey, however, were quite glad to join her after only a few words spoken.

"So what is this... research project that you need our help in, Lovegood?" asked Tracey as they entered the Library. They moved rather briskly past a table that was stacked high with papers, and Ginny absently noticed that the air from their passing had dislodged one of the papers and sent it accidentally flying out the open window beyond.

"Of course, the ultimate conclusion is to attain that which we all desire from Harry," said Luna as she lead them all back into the Restricted Section, flashing the Pass she had borrowed from Harry earlier at the Librarian. "He seems to be quite reluctant in utilizing any of his power over us, instead, all of his concentration so far has been on maintaining and enforcing _his_ personal responsibility towards _us_. Logically, I have deduced that there are several ways that we can go about changing this."

"This should be good," whispered the Slytherin to Ginny beside her.

"The first is that we use the Imperius curse on Harry and have him order us to allow him to ravish us to his heart's content."

At that, even Tracey Davies' jaw dropped, alongside Ginny who found Luna's "logical conclusion" to be the most illogical thing she'd ever heard of. Until she allowed herself to continue listening.

"Then I recalled that Harry had, in fact, been trained to resist the Imperius curse and that would not work. My next idea was to brew the Egour Niluom Cerebius potion."

Tracey, who being Slytherin, and was definitely no slouch when it came to learning Potions, regardless of the guaranteed passing grade, had nevertheless heard of the _experimental_ and _high-level_ potion that not even the masters dared to brew without _severe_ precautions put in place. Such as a ward designed to atomize everything within its boundaries if any part of the brewing went wrong, destroying potion _and_ potion master together. Yet guaranteeing the safety of the rest of the planet instead.

"Are you INSANE?!" the taller brunette hissed at the younger blond. "That potion is so _insanely_ dangerous that just to mention it is on par of going up to You-Know-Who and mooning the bastard! Nobody, at least nobody that is willing to cop up to it, has _ever_ successfully brewed that... _that potion_! Ideally, it's supposed to reveal a person's true character and allow the person to reach their maximum and full potential without having to work hard at various skills for years and years. More often, what happens is that either the potion-maker kills themselves, or the potion was brewed incorrectly and the one to take it goes mad beyond mad instead!"

"Yes, and Harry always has been one to appreciate the value of hard work," said Luna. "I think his relatives helped with that. Regardless, my last option is why we're here. We need to adjust our own behavior to elicit the behavior we wish to invoke in Harry. To start with, I did some preliminary research, and discovered that every harem and even household servants, which most of us are now, all were bestowed with a uniform of some kind. Unfortunately, because the Potter household hasn't existed for some 15 years now, and because Harry's parents had no servants of their own, we have no way of knowing what uniforms, as the servants of Harry Potter, we should be wearing. So, in effort to resolve this issue, I believe we need to begin researching various uniform options, and since Harry has no male servants and is not likely to recruit any male servants any time soon, I logically concluded that we should focus on the uniforms of various harems within, and without the Wizarding world. Unfortunately, the material is considerably more involved than I initially suspected, and I find myself in need of assistance to peruse it all."

Tracey had been listening intently and as she did, her grin grew and grew and grew until it threatened to split her head wide open. Next to her, Ginny, likewise had a large mischievous smirk on her features.

"Luna, that's brilliant! And I have just the idea for..." Tracey began to go off on a tangent, but Luna interrupted.

"Actually, no," she said. "That's why I did not just have us get together with drawing quills, or even design them myself. Harry, would no doubt reject anything that we suggested that would place us in anything that was not wholesome, comfortable, and allowed us to maintain full respect. He's rather silly that way. Which is why we are instead researching _actual_ uniforms of servants and harems. So that we have proof that we are in fact expected to dress in such, rather than having him mistake it for childish behavior on our part."

"Damn, he would do that, wouldn't he," replied Tracey with a sigh at noble Gryffindors. Ginny was already pulling various books off the shelves, those that looked like they might have pictures, as well as had interesting titles. Including an Original copy of _1001 Arabian Nights_ by _Scheherazade_ that the other girls raised an eyebrow at, but did not contest either.

Over the next few hours, the three girls poured over volume after volume of fictional literature, factual listing, and even some 'Do-It-Yourself' Self Help books on different types of uniforms throughout both the muggle and wizarding worlds. Not to mention a few 'Adult' magazines that the other two couldn't figure out where Luna got them from. They finally narrowed it down to three choices, which Ginny suggested they keep all three and just label them as uniforms for different services.

Of course this wasn't just an outright study session as with schoolwork. They talked to each other, learned more about each other, learned that out of the five (so far) the three of them were the ones that most wanted Harry to "ravish them" as Luna put it, but also that they had different expectations in those regards as well.

Luna expected, and wanted Harry to be the classic 'Macho-Hero-Man's Man' type that was all aggression and just took what he wanted, in and out of the bedroom, at all times of the day. Her accounts of several fantasies she admitted to had the other girls drooling and squirming in their seats just a bit.

Tracey, on the other hand was already experienced in those matters, although she wasn't exactly keeping track, she wasn't sleeping around with everything that walked and breathed either. For the most part she was just curious about the Boy Who Lived and wanted to see if he could physically live up to the hype of his reputation. Emotionally, he had already impressed her and had changed her mind from just wanting to 'have a bit of fun with him' to seriously consider the beginnings of a crush on him.

Ginny, on the other hand, had been crushing on the Chosen One since before they'd even known each other, but had since then gotten much closer to him, and saw within him a man that she could seriously fall in love with and all the romance, passion, and sappiness involved with it. Nevertheless, all three were wanting to have Harry Potter in their beds and would do anything to make it happen. Even conspire with the other in order to share him between all of them.

They laughed, they got angry, they conjectured, they planned, they talked a lot, and generally the girls bonded with each other the way that girls often do. By lunch time they were all much closer to each other, and they had their uniform suggestions. Rather than using transfiguration on their school uniforms to create their servant uniforms, Luna suggested that they spend a few days actually _making_ their new uniforms, for themselves and for their fellow servants. Unfortunately, that would have to wait as Harry was expecting them for lunch and as much as the girls all wanted to get started on their surprise for their master, they didn't want to miss out on spending time with him either. Quickly they made their way back to Gryffindor tower to meet up before heading down to the Great Hall for lunch..

00000

"So I see you and Weasley are back on friendly terms," said Pansy from across the table, Ginny and Susan on either side of her. Harry was essentially at the center of the table once more, with Luna and Tracey on either side, still trying to feed him. On the other side of Luna was Ron and to his other side was Hermione, who was paying more attention to the sheets of parchment in her hands rather than eating.

"What's it to you Parkinson?!" yelled Ron.

"Ron," said Harry in warning. "Believe it or not, she was being friendly and just asked a simple question."

Ron blinked, of half a mind to claim Harry was defending a Slytherin, until he remembered what Harry had said that morning at breakfast and then there was the fact that Pansy's expression really was innocent of any innuendo when she'd asked her question. "Oh. Sorry, Parkinson," he apologized.

"That's all right," she accepted, "We never really were friends... before. You're entitled to your suspicions. Lord knows that more than half of Slytherin house is. And you can call me Pansy. You're Harry's friend and while that doesn't automatically make us friends, it doesn't mean that we have to be hostile towards each other either."

Ron nodded his head, saying, "Fair enough. And considering how many of us there are, you'd be better off calling me Ron rather than Weasley." At that most of the table laughed. It was certainly no secret of how many Weasley siblings still attended Hogwarts.

At that moment, Professor McGonagall stepped up behind Harry and politely asked him to sign some papers for the Quidditch team. Accepting the parchments, Harry casually noticed that his Head of House was fairly distracted at the moment, although she didn't say which documents needed his signature, so he just signed the ones that looked like they required a signature. When she suddenly stopped him after he'd just signed the final one, he simply handed them back to her, expecting that their business was concluded.

Until she suddenly screamed out loud, "Oh, dear heavens!"

Surprised, half of the people in the Great Hall at the moment turned towards the normally strict professor and saw her staring in mounting horror at a specific parchment in her hand.

"Professor, what is it?" Harry asked.

"This doesn't make any sense, how could this happen? Again!" was all Professor McGonagall could mutter.

"Professor?" Hermione tried, standing up and taking a look at the parchment that held the elder woman's attention. The way her face fell, her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped told Harry and the girls around him that this was not a good parchment. In fact, they were beginning to suspect that it was a very bad parchment.

"Hermione?" Harry tried again.

Hermione's face scowled in sudden anger and she started slapping Harry, not with any real malice, but still he flinched back, raising his arms to defend himself. "Ow! Hermione, quit it! Ow! What is it? What happened?! OW!"

"You, two-faced, back-stabbing, perverted, sheik-wannabe, arrogant, arse-hole, slave-driving, slave-driver, buggering, bloody, stupid, ignorant, foolish BOY!" she screamed between each slap.

"Hermione!" Harry finally called for mercy.

"I'd believe you did it on purpose, but I know you're not that smart!" Hermione had finally stopped hitting him, but she was breathing heavily and spoke hotly, "I can't believe that you, YOU of all people would be stupid enough to sign your name to something without reading what it was first! Because of that, that, THAT!" she pointed savagely at the parchment still in McGonagall's hands, "You have yourself _ANOTHER_ slave girl!"

"WHAT?!" Harry jumped to his feet and grabbed the Contract out of his teacher's hands. He quickly glanced it over, seeing the important parts; 'Magical Contract', 'Service of Subject to Owner of Contract', 'Slave', and then the big thing, down at the bottom, next to where it was labeled 'Subject' was the name _Cho Chang_.

"Oh bloody hell," he groaned out loud.

Moments later, the afternoon owl post decided to land, and it just so happened that beyond Hedwig, there were three very large Eagle-Owls carrying a large box, or small trunk in some circles, between them and settled it in front of Harry's place at the table. Luna casually noted that it had the Malfoy family crest on the trunk.

"When it rains, it pours," Harry groaned out. "I'll deal with all this after lunch. I can't handle all of this on an empty stomach." Mere moments after he said that, Hedwig delivered her portion of the mail, which just so happened to include letters from the Weasleys about Ginny, and by the 'Weasleys' that means Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Percy Weasley, and the Twins as well. And Ron's Aunt Muriel too.

"Somebody just kill me now..." he said. Instead of granting his wish, Luna and Tracey just continued to try and feed him, each sporting happy little smirks.

00000

After lunch, it had taken some time, but between the eight of them (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Tracey, Pansy, Susan, and Ginny) they finally managed to track down Cho, who was unfortunately still hanging out with her friend, Marietta Edgecomb, of which none of the searching group wanted to speak with, seeing as most of them had been in the DA the year before.

"Cho, we need to talk with you," Harry said once they had surrounded the 7th Year Ravenclaw.

"What's this about, Harry?" the pretty Asian witch asked friendly.

"Uh... this," was all he could say as he handed her the Contract with a shrug. Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, he mumbled, "Sorry about all this."

At first, Cho was confused, then as she continued to read, she became horrified, then outraged, until she allowed herself to consider that Harry had not done this intentionally, and his behavior supported this, and she felt a moment of pity for him, until she identified that this was not another Indentured Servant Contract, but an outright Binding Magical Contract for her _slavery_ to one Harry James Potter! Then she felt like fainting. So she did.

The group stared down at her for several moments before Luna commented, "Well. She took that much better than you did, don't you think?"

00000

Much later that evening, after having several hours to cool down with, Harry walked back into the Common Room, holding a small trunk under one arm. For just a few seconds, he surveyed the area, a smile slowly working itself onto his lips when he saw the girls sitting together.

"Hi everyone," he greeted, sitting down in the couch, causing Luna, Tracey, and Pansy to scurry aside so he wouldn't land on them. Putting the trunk on his lap, he wrapped one arm around Luna, the second around Tracey, the girls that happened to be on his left and right. Happy that he was feeling comfortable enough with them to do something like this, the girls all greeted back at the same time.

"Hi, Harry!"

"How's Cho doing?" he asked in general.

"About as expected," Ginny replied.

"She screamed and ranted for about an hour," Susan picked it up.

"Then got real moppy for a while," Tracey continued.

"And finally went to her Head of House to use the Floo to speak with her parents," Luna concluded. "She took the Contract with her, and I imagine they'll take a look at it, but Hermione already did and concluded that it is as binding as Ginny's, despite the unique way that it came into existence."

"Did we ever figure out how this happened?" he asked.

"I think I do..." Luna answered, but he quickly stopped her, saying, "That's okay Luna, I don't think I really want to know right now. So Cho is doing all right?"

"More or less," Ginny shrugged. "She's a bit depressed on suddenly being a slave, but she's accepted it and she's stronger than she looks, so you don't have to worry about her breaking down crying every five minutes. Uh, provided that you don't suddenly die on us, despite it being one of the only ways she'd be considered free. If you were to die, all bets are off on her not crying all the time." They all laughed at the joke for a moment, but quickly sobered as none of the girls enjoyed the thought of anything happening to Harry. "Other than that, she has stopped crying and between Luna and Tracey, she's starting to see the bright side of this situation."

"Good, that's good at least."

"So, I heard that you guys tore into Dumbledore," he said, grinning widely. The girls all nodded.

"He deserved it," Luna spoke, rather airily.

"He did," Harry said, nodding once. "The result was that he came up to me, apologized, and was actually quite able to speak without riddles for once. Plus, we made a deal... basically, as long as I don't go looking for fights, and don't use Unforgivables, he's going to cover for me.

"That's great, Harry!" Tracey said, smiling widely, hugging him with all her might. For just a fraction of a second, he tensed up, then slowly relaxed. He smiled fondly at her.

"Anyway," he went on, looking away from Tracey, who wasn't looking like she'd let go of him soon. "I thought you girls earned a present." He retrieved his arms from around Tracey and Luna, and opened the small trunk he'd been carrying. It was about twenty centimeters high, about forty wide and twenty deep, built like a pirate's treasure chest... only smaller.

His arm disappeared up to his elbow in it, and Harry frowned as he felt around. Finally, he looked into it, his head actually vanishing into the larger inside as well. Finally, he let out a sound of triumph, and retrieved his head and arm from the wayward chest.

In his hands were five packages. Each package was marked with a girl's name, and he handed them out accordingly. "I believe these would look fabulous on all of you. Of course, if you don't like them, I'm sure we can find something else."

They all just sat there, staring at him, the package in their hands, then back to him. "Go on, open them!" he urged them, and they tore into the wrapping paper.

Ginny was the first one who got her package open. She let out a scream when she opened the jewelry box. The others stopped what they were doing, staring at the redhead as she turned the box around, displaying the contents to the others.

In the box was a beautiful white-gold necklace, set with a large ruby, perfectly matching a pair of rose gold earrings with matching rubies. "Those will look fabulous on you, Gin", Harry said, grinning widely at her shocked look. Suddenly, he found himself enveloped in a hug, and his arms closed around the sobbing girl by themselves.

"They're so beautiful," she muttered, kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you, Harry!"

"You're welcome, Gin," Harry said.

Tracey had by now opened her own package. She, too, had a set consisting of a necklace and a pair of earrings. But her necklace was of heavier build than Ginny's, made of yellow gold with small emeralds in the necklace itself, and a large emerald at the base of it. Her earrings were of matching build and metal, and each held an emerald pendant.

Harry smiled widely when he received his second kiss. He was getting used to these touchy-feely girls, and he was determined to enjoy the experience.

By now, Luna was looking at her set. A single gold strand held a small pendant set with pearls, a soft and fragile-looking piece of jewelry that was a lot stronger than it looked. Coupled to the unique necklace was a dainty-looking gold bracelet, set with small sapphires, the dark blue matching the gold of the bracelet with sparkling intensity. The third piece was a gold brooch with a large sapphire in the middle.

"I thought those felt like you... quite fragile when you look at them, but once you really look at them, quite a lot stronger than they appear," Harry said, feeling quite self-conscious as Luna just stared at her set.

Slowly, she looked at him. "These are really for me?" she whispered, her question sounding quite odd.

He nodded. "I hope you like them..." He didn't manage to finish his statement as Luna was suddenly wrapped around him.

"They're beautiful," she whispered, kissing him on both cheeks. "And I'm glad you think so highly of me."

He smiled at her. "Glad you like them, Luna. Yours were the hardest to find. I didn't want to give you earrings, as you always keep your wand behind your ear." She smiled at him, and kissed him again for his thoughtfulness. By now, the first two witches were feeling quite jealous for only having stolen one kiss each.

Susan was next, and she, too, was staring. Her set consisting out of a necklace built out of two strands of gold braided together, like her hair always was, set with a small bejeweled clasp and a pendant at the bottom that held stones of remarkable beauty, but the name of which she didn't know.

"They're moonstones," Harry explained, recognizing where Susan was looking. "They come in all the colors of the rainbow."

"They're... gorgeous," the Hufflepuff whispered. Completing the necklace were a set of earrings, made out of the same gold as her necklace, in a similarly braided style, in between each braid a beautiful, and differently colored, moonstone had been set.

"They don't sparkle the way traditional gems do," Harry explained. "But they more than make up for it with their similarly unique appearance, an appearance that shows a depth that you wouldn't have guessed at first sight."

He grinned as Susan kissed him. Thrice. He was laughing by the time she finished, recognizing Susan's plight not to be outdone by Luna.

Slowly, they stopped laughing, and looked at the last girl.

Pansy was sitting, stiff and silent, her eyes locked on the set in front of her. "Pansy?" Harry asked.

She startled, looked at him. "Harry?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"You don't like them?" he asked, suddenly feeling quite bad. After the first four girls liked their jewels, he was kinda hoping he'd get a perfect five out of five.

"I love them," she replied, closing the box. "But... but I... can't accept these." She swallowed. "You shouldn't... spend this much. Not on me."

The other girls looked at their jewels, only now realizing that they were holding thousands of Galleons worth of jewelry in their hands.

"Pansy," Harry sat, taking her hands that were still holding the box. "I want you to have these. I want to take care of you." He looked at the others. "All of you. You... I can't describe how it's been, these last few days. I can't describe it, because I've never felt it. I've never felt like this." He sighed. "I suck with words. I can only show... I can't tell."

"I believe you told perfectly well this morning, Harry," Hermione said, walking up to the group. She'd only now come in, obviously having spent another intense couple of hours at the library. "Now, what's this about?" she then asked, before her eyes fell on the jewelry boxes.

"Harry?" she demanded.

Harry glanced at her. "Hello, Hermione," he looked back to Pansy, giving her his undivided attention. "Please, Pansy. If you don't like them, that's one thing... I can get you something else. But please, let me take care of you."

She swallowed, her eyes shining suspiciously. Finally, she opened the box again. Hermione, standing behind the couch, had a perfect sight of its contents. She gasped.

"Thank you, Harry," the Slytherin girl said, leaning over and kissing him, once, on the cheek. The other girls were starting to get impatient, and Pansy relented quickly. She turned the box, so they could all look.

A necklace, made of a single band of gold inset with diamonds, greeted them. At its base was a single diamond, clear and perfect, reflecting light in all the colors of the rainbow. Matching it was a set of diamond earrings, the small pieces inset with so many gemstones that it looked as if she were wearing miniature lights at her ears.

"Just like you, Pansy," Harry said, smiling widely now that she had accepted the jewelry. He glanced around his group of girls. "Welcome to the family... _my_ family."

"Harry!" Hermione demanded again.

"I got the Malfoy Jewels, so I might as well give them to people who'd enjoy them more than I would," Harry said, smiling widely. He patted the small case. "There are plenty more where those came from, but those sets are _yours_. You'll keep them until the end of times. These jewels, I think, would be best if you'd share them. That way, you girls get to play mix-and-match, and I know how much you all enjoy that."

Hermione just sputtered while Harry was buried under a mountain of laughing and squealing girls.

It took almost ten minutes before Harry saw light again. "So, how about we ask Cho to come up here?" he asked. "Now that you all got your presents, that is."

"So that's why you didn't want her to come here immediately after class," Ginny said, things finally becoming clear.

Harry nodded. "Yes. I didn't want to make her jealous... but I should get to know her better first. And that single, disastrous date shouldn't be what influences me in picking out her welcoming present."

Luna nodded a beaming smile on her face. "I'll get her, Harry." She stood up, and walked to the portrait hole.

Hermione just sat there, staring at the various jewelry boxes, unable to believe that her friend was giving these girls such expensive jewelry, while she got none herself. Finally, she accepted the fact that the girls were Harry's family now, and that she was... _just_... a friend. She congratulated the girls on their presents, and looked a little crestfallen as the expensive goods were packed away in preparation for Cho's arrival.

"Oh," said Harry suddenly, "Almost forgot!" He reached back into the chest and pulled out another package. "Late birthday present Hermione. I would've gotten it to you sooner, but, well... I didn't have them sooner." Hermione squealed and immediately raced back upstairs to her dorm room before she made a complete embarrassment of herself, taking the packaged jewels with her. At the looks he got from the others, he could only shrug and say, "What?"

Finally, the portrait hole opened. Luna was getting good at talking the Fat Lady into opening up, Harry realized, as he had never actually told her the password.

"Thank you for calling me, Master," Cho whispered, dropping to her knees. Harry bit back a curse, and reached for her shoulders.

"Cho, none of that, please," he muttered. "I'm just Harry. I know I am not the kind of guy you want... that one date proved that enough." He drew a breath, Cho looking up at him with a stricken look on her face. "I will never force you, Cho. I will never have you do anything you don't want. Just like these others, I promise you the same thing. Circumstances forced us into this, we'll need to deal with it as it comes."

"Harry is right, Cho," Luna said, dreamily looking at the Head Girl. "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Then sell the lemonade, get a big markup, buy more lemons, make more, and buy a juicer. Then set up a global empire of lemonade stands, and make a fortune!"

As she spoke, getting more and more excited, the other's jaws sunk lower and lower.

"Okay..." Harry muttered, not believing what he just heard. "What she said," he then said, pointing at Luna while looking at Cho.

Luna drew a breath. They all stared at her. "After you achieve a monopoly in Lemonade stands, it's time to break into other markets. Girl Scout Cookies, for instance, would make a great secondary market, to match the lemonade you're selling. You could put a free box of cookies in with every two bottles of lemonade sold, and force the competition out of business..."

"Girl Scout Cookies?" Susan asked. She, like the other girls, was a pure-blood wizard. She didn't know where Luna had heard the obviously muggle term, but she had no idea what it meant.

Luna nodded. "Girl Scouts are a knut a dozen, you can get them really cheap and work them quite easily into cookies..."

Hermione, who had come back downstairs just in time to hear Luna's rant, opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, then closed it again. Finally, she shook her head, and sighed. "Never mind," she muttered.

Luna just grinned. "See, Cho, always see the big picture. You didn't lose your freedom. You gained a big family, with one of the most powerful wizards of our time protecting you, plus, he takes really good care of us!"

"I'm not-" Harry protested.

"What you did to Malfoy and his bodyguards is a matter of public record now, Harry. If Professor McGonagall can't reverse the transformation, that should tell you something about your strength," Luna retorted.

Harry just sat down again, and nodded. "Yes, Luna," he said, not feeling up to arguing with the blond Ravenclaw. She nodded at him, then shot him a smile. He returned it easily. He liked it when the girls smiled at him. It made him feel like he mattered.

"So, Cho," he said. "I hope you'll feel at home here. Or rather, in the situation." He glanced around. "The others have taken up to sleeping here, but I want you to know that I have no problems with you sleeping in the Ravenclaw dormitories."

"Harry!" Tracey shouted.

"Tracey!" Harry yelled back. The girl startled, not having expected _that_ response.

"Harry, your servants should remain close to you," she finally said.

"Contrary to you girls, Cho and Ginny can't really _buy_ their freedom with service." He sighed, feeling like a jerk for having things happen to him like this. Not just servants... actual _slaves_. He shook his head. He had time to deal with his conscience later. "So, I have no problems with them remaining in their own beds. In fact, I seem to recall telling the you and the others the same thing."

"Yes, but that would mean a breach of contract," Luna said. "Which would mean that we end up..."

"Yes, yes, no need to remind me," Harry grunted, his subconsciousness providing him with a telling image of his new family, half-naked, in front of some wizarding camera. "Anyway, Cho, if you want tor remain in Ravenclaw..."

"I... I think I'll stay," the Head Girl muttered. She drew a breath. "I think it's best if I just accepted my new lot in life."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to, Cho. I am not going to force you into anything, and I don't want the others forcing you into anything either. Just because they do something, doesn't mean that you have to do the same thing."

For just a moment, anger flashed in her eyes, but it died down just as quickly. "Don't you want me here?" she finally asked, with a resigned voice.

He bit back a curse. "Why do you girls always ask me that? I try to make things comfortable for you, and all you do is take it as personal insults!" he ranted. "Don't look at me like that, Luna, you did the same thing!"

Luna just continued to smile at him.

He flung himself in the couch again. "Fine, then. If you want to stay, stay. You're welcome here," he said. "Like I said, no pressure."

She nodded. "Thank you, Harry."

He blinked. "Whatever for?" he asked, honestly confused.

"For... everything," she muttered. "After... with our pasts, I mean... any guy would have taken advantage of me already. Or hate me, and not want to look at me."

"You'll find that Harry's not like that," Pansy said, not the most vocal member of the group. "I thought the same thing when I found out Draco had... _wagered_... me away. Instead, he tried to release me, he was kind to me, even defended me. And he's never pressured me."

Cho looked more and more relieved as the Slytherin spoke. If Harry could treat a former enemy like that, surely he wouldn't have any problems treating _her_ like that.

As the evening drew to a close, Cho opened up, and soon, she was laughing along with the rest of the girls.

Harry yawned when the Common Room was deserted by all but them. He stood up, and wished them good night.

"Must we go through this every evening, Harry?" Luna demanded.

"Go through what?" Cho asked.

"Oh, Harry has horrible nightmares," Luna said. "But, when he sleeps with us, he's relaxed, and has a good night's sleep. But it's rather tiresome that we must blackmail him every evening into staying."

"Sleeps... with us?" Cho asked, her voice tiny.

"As in _sleeping_," Tracey said. "And nothing else."

"Oh," Cho muttered.

"See?" Harry said. "Cho doesn't want it, and I am not about to pressure her! Good night, everybody."

"I didn't say that!" Cho said, unable to really raise her voice. "I was just surprised. I didn't know you slept with us."

"The bed's more than large enough, and each night, there are two girls who get to spend the night in his arms," Ginny said. "Tonight's my turn!"

"If we follow the same logic, it should also be yours, Cho," Tracey said. "We're in a rotation. But, as you're new, I don't think you're ready for that yet."

Cho hesitantly shook her head. "That means it's Luna and me," Ginny said, grinning widely.

"Don't _I_ get a say in this?" Harry asked, not really knowing what to make of these girls.

"If we give you a choice, you're going to shimmy up into the boy's dorm, and we won't get to sleep with you in our arms," Luna said. "So... no, not really."

Harry just stared at her. "What if I protest?" he replied finally.

"We'll overrule that protest some way or other," Luna replied calmly. "But please, it's a nice challenge, so do try."

He sighed in defeat, before straightening out. "And what if I just turned, and walked up those stairs?"

Luna cocked her head. "You wouldn't do that to us," she said with a tiny voice, slowly looking at the ground before looking up at him with those big, silver, puppy-dog eyes of hers. The others gawked at her, even Cho was staring. "You would really abandon us? Even that small service you'd take away from us? You know that, if we're useless to you, we'd be dismissed from your service, our contracts would be canceled..."

Harry cursed under his breath. "How _do_ you girls wind me around your fingers?" he muttered. The girls cheered, even Cho was smiling a little, while Harry merely grinned slightly, and shook his head. The girls' good mood was infectious.

And so... Harry dropped into the large bed, Ginny spooned to his right side, and Luna to his left. The others found comfortable positions... but not before Tracey stole a goodnight kiss. Of course, Susan and Pansy couldn't stay behind, and they each stole one as well. Much to Harry's surprise, Cho looked hopefully at him, and she got a kiss as well, making the pretty Asian Head Girl blush. As he settled down, Ginny and Luna double-teamed him.

Harry fell asleep with a big smile on his face... again.

00000

'_There, that's it, it's Finished,_' Daphne thought to herself as she signed her name into the self-written Magical Contract. It had taken her the better part of two days, nearly a solid back-to-back forty-eight hour period, to write it, getting the wording _just_ right, but it was finished.

She had learned, or rather been forced to learn how to pay attention to the details at a very young age, and growing up in a pure-blood family and living in Slytherin had only increased her knowledge of the numerous ways to utilize loopholes to her advantage. She had also taken Ancient Runes and other helpful courses that allowed her some additional skills towards writing things out.

Of course not just anyone can create a Magical Contract from thin air. You need to either copy it from a source or master copy, or have a professional Ministry-Appointed Scribe write it out for you. Or you need to have a supply of the specialized magical ink and enchanted parchment and know the specific spells to activate all of the factors, aka "Clauses" into the Contract. Which Daphne did, on all accounts, having been taught by her estranged Uncle at her Father's request when she was only 12 years old. The age where she could legally be married off, according to the Old Customs.

Baron Greengrass was a busy man, or rather a business man and as such did not view wrangling his daughter, his only child who would not be allowed to inherit his title, into a marriage she did not want. So instead he made sure that she knew exactly how to both get out of and get into a marriage where she held the power, and being able to write your own Magical Contracts went a long way towards that.

'_Poor Daddy,_' Daphne thought as she rolled up the Contract exactly so, '_He's going to be so mad when my lawyers deliver their letters. But by the time he even gets them, let alone bothers to read them, it will be too late. He really should have known better than giving a woman in _Slytherin _the power to manage out her own destiny. It's a shame that I won't get to see the look on Daddy's face when he reads that he's suddenly bankrupt, out of a job, and that the entire inheritance and everything owned by the Greengrass family now belongs to Harry James Potter. It all rests on Potter now. Although pretty soon, I'm going to have to start calling him Master..._'

Daphne allowed a warm smile to grace her features for only a moment as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall into sleep in the Slytherin dorms, one way or another, for the last time.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

**The Poker Game**

Harry Potter and the others do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this, and I wouldn't be short on cash.

In this story, I'm making some assumptions on the value of the Galleon. Seeing as we are generally rather uninformed about prices in the wizarding world, I'm basing my assumptions on the end of book four. Harry gave Fred and George 1000 Galleons to open the joke shop. Assuming that the twins had some money of they own, and the money was enough to cover rent for at least a few months, as well as getting stock, inventory, and doing testing of various items, I'm assuming that 5000 Galleons is enough to buy a small house in the country, and 10,000 would get you a reasonably sized house.

_The Poker Game – an HP shortfic by Enterprise1701d and Joshua The Evil Guy_

**Chapter Four**

"Harry?"

A sleepy mumble was the only reply.

"Harry Potter?"

He heard his name being called out, but to be quite honest, he was too comfortable to do anything about it.

"It's time to wake up."

That was not what he wanted to hear. Sleep was more comfortable right now, and he felt safe and warm here.

"You need to wake up now, Harry."

The voice was a bit sterner, but it wasn't the voice he woke up to anymore, and he was still asleep besides.

"Wake up, Potter!"

Frowning at the sudden harshness, still unfamiliar voice, but they definitely wanted him to wake up.

"Potter!"

Groaning for whoever it was to go away, he pulled his arms closer so the warmth would increase.

"Harry? Harry? Harry Potter!"

Now that was starting to sound like the voice he had to wake up to, but he never woke up easy. Sleep was good.

"Oh for crying out loud... POTTER!"

An angry groan this time.

"Harry Potter, you wake up this instant!"

Now that sounded like Hermione, all stern and unrelenting. Cracking an eye, he saw a blurry female form at the end of the bed, standing there in school robes with her hands on her hips.

"Mornin' 'Mione," he grumbled, closing his eyes once more.

"Not the response I expected, but at least you're awake now. And my name is not... 'Mione'," replied the voice.

Harry's eyes snapped open as the adrenaline surged through his system. They were a bit slow in coming this time around, but he soon had his glasses in hand and on his nose. "Daphne? Daphne Greengrass? Wha... What are you doing here? _How_ did you get here?"

"Oh, the Slytherin Prefects have known the passwords to all the Houses since the beginning of term. Wasn't hard to get the right person to cough it up. And I need to speak with you, so if you wouldn't mind getting up? I feel a little silly talking to an empty corner of the Gryffindor Common Room."

"Huh?"

"I got in and I need to speak with you," Daphne summarized. "You don't give Granger this much trouble when she wakes you up, do you?"

"Actually, we manage to keep her flustered for several minutes before she has to walk off to masturbate at the sight of Harry unyielding to our tempting flesh," Luna answered, still with her eyes closed, and still with her head in the crook of Harry's side. Ginny had yet again, somehow, spread herself all over the top of them and was cuddling her head into Harry's abdomen, while tugging the other girls in closer around their dark haired master.

"Shame, that's not going to happen in this case, as I have a limited time to explain things to you and even less time to convince you," the Slytherin Ice Queen remarked. "You can remain where you are for the moment, but I need you awake, alert, and listening, if you please Mister Potter."

"Some reason you're being all formal like this, Greengrass?" he mumbled lazily, enjoying his position, both actually and metaphorically in Daphne's case. "Come to think of it, why are you here at all? Avoiding the more complicated questions of how, for the moment."

"I've come to offer myself to you, Potter," she answered, tossing her styled blonde hair over her shoulder with a huff of annoyance. "Or I should say... Master."

That adrenaline surge kicked out all traces of sleep and laziness right out of him in a single heartbeat. Much to the displeasure of his sleeping companions, Harry forced himself into a sitting position, not taking note that somehow his sleeping shirt had been removed at one point and all of his sleek, Seeker-induced teenage muscles were on display for distraction of all female company.

After physically moving Ginny over to Luna's lap, he turned to Daphne and said, "You have my attention. And not the good side of it, I warn you. Tracey tells me that you two are good friends, so you know how I've been fighting tooth and nail against taking these young women into my service against their will. And now you show up, in our password-protected sleeping area, and wake me up telling me that you _want_ to become my Indentured Servant too?"

The increasing sarcasm was not lost on Daphne, but for the moment she chose to ignore it. "I was there, playing the game with you Potter, if you recall. I know what happened. I was actually of the same mind as Pansy and Cho claimed to be, that you would treat them poorly, be the typical male and have them parading around, humiliating themselves and debasing their bodies for your personal gratification."

Before he could interrupt, she continued with a sterner tone, silencing his protests. "BUT! That did not happen. Instead the day after the game, Draco tried to work out a way of not only taking your servants away from you, those that you hadn't freed, of course, but to get himself some so that _he_ could do the things we thought _you_ would do. And for your information, yes, he was the one behind the new law in the Ministry turning Life Debts into Slave Contracts. He spent most of the day ranting about it through the Floo until he got so fed up that he went out to challenge you. Which is where you then hexed him and began changing your luck around in this school. Dumbledore vouched for Snape, who could then vouch for any of his own "Chosen Ones". Now you've got the Headmaster vouching for you directly."

"After Malfoy had his tantrum in the dorms, I started making plans, because it was more than obvious that things were not like I had thought they'd be. Tracey came back, once, to get her things, so she doesn't know how things have changed in Slytherin House. I'm not going back there, and to save a lot of time arguing, if you don't accept me and my Contract, I will be dead before the day is out."

"WHAT?!" everyone on the bed screamed at her. During her rant, every one of them had woken up and were certainly awake enough to hear that last bit.

Getting fully out of the bed, not caring that he was only in a pair of tight-fitting boxers, Harry ordered her, "You'd better start from the beginning. Girls? Would one of you mind going up and getting Hermione down here? And where are my clothes?!" he added after most of them had run to the dorm stairs.

00000

Half an hour later, which was actually only 6:30 AM, they were all dressed in casual clothes and had all listened to Daphne's story, proposal, and allowed Hermione to take a look at her self-written Contract. It still was not yet binding. As with Ginny's it had the Verbal Agreement Clause rather than the Read It & Weep Clause that had caught Cho when Professor McGonagall had read that one.

"So," began Harry, "let me just see if I've got this straight, all right?"

Daphne nodded and allowed him to continue.

"You want me to accept your Contract that will, without putting too fine a point on it, make you my absolute slave, under the conditions that I can never sell you to anyone else, ever, and that even if I were to marry you, you would still be considered my slave, but if I were to die in any way other than natural causes, you would instantly be free and would have controlling interest in my... estate, unless I had a legal heir, even if that heir was a baby at the time. Right so far?"

"There is also five full paragraphs detailing without _any_ permitting loopholes that I cannot, in any way be even partly responsible for your death, at the cost of my magic and potentially my own life even. Granger can go over it with the finest-tooth comb she can and she'll have to agree. So while it might look like I might be trying to back-stab you to eventually kill you and take all the power you're amassing, those paragraphs prevent me from doing so. Everything else you pointed out, is in place to prevent you from being challenged and for me, and the others from going to the winner of said challenge, as he would then have the right to claim your property as his. Some members of my family will be quite cross with what I've done, so this is to head them off from trying anything... overly foolish," Daphne explained.

"Good to know," he acknowledged. "Moving on, without going into details, your... enslavement would be for your entire lifetime, with the further condition that if you were to ever have any children, they would not be slaves themselves. Not that I have a problem with any of that, beyond the whole concept of you _wanting_ to be a slave, but did I miss anything?"

"No, that's pretty much it as far as the Contract itself is concerned," she answered. "Without going into details."

"Right," he took a deep breath and held the bridge of his nose for a few seconds. "So, continuing, on your part, since you were in doubt that, after having collected a girl a day since the Poker game, I would even accept your Contract, even after you telling me about your family and how you think Slytherin House is becoming more violent, you decided to up the ante, right?"

"Would you like me to go over my proposal once again?" she asked innocently.

"No, I'm just trying to clarify the facts and make sure I understand them," he hastily replied. "First of all, as you are the only child of the Baron Greengrass, by making you my slave, it is the same as if I were to marry you or otherwise take the titles doing so would invoke. You have also put into motion, through several lawyers, actions and events that will result in me and me alone owning every piece of property that the Greengrass family owns, correct?" She nodded her head.

"On _top_ of that, and making the transactions legal, you are also emptying out the entire Greengrass vaults into my vaults at Gringotts and cutting the legal fees, transaction costs, and property sales from the interest between the individual vaults of every member of the Greengrass family that has a vault you don't control, which will result in a few of those vaults even being drained to cover all of those costs. And then you tell me that beyond all that, you have also managed to procure controlling interest of the _Firebolt Broom Company_ and you are giving all of that to me, without condition, without guarantee of acceptance, without threatening or blackmailing me with it. You're just free and clear giving me all of that?"

"As an incentive, a gift," she clarified.

"So, hypothetically," he stipulated, "I could tell you no, not accept your contract and even throw in a 'go to hell', and... I still get to keep all of that stuff, I just don't get you as my slave or the titles that come with you?"

"Yes," Daphne simply nodded her head.

"And you did all this, knowing that Harry doesn't give one shit about titles and he'd rather you be a free woman than his slave?" Tracey asked her friend, incredulous. "Are you mental, Daph?! I mean it, are you truly insane?"

"No, I'm a Slytherin," was the curt reply. "That's why I told you that I am never going back to the Slytherin dorms, one way or another. That is also why I told you that if you do not accept my proposal, my Contract at the least, I will be dead before the day is out."

"Yeah, I'm still having a bit of trouble understanding that," said Harry. "Not that I don't believe you about it, nor that I want that to happen or anything. But it sounds a lot like when Luna describes the lot of you having to go into porn if I don't... _allow_ you to serve me. Although death threats is definitely one-up on the guilt-trip factor..."

"The transactions that I put into play yesterday cannot be stopped, by anyone," Daphne answered. "And in most cases they cannot be reversed after the fact. My family may, eventually, be able to reclaim a few of their properties, the Ancestral Home definitely, but the company, the drained vaults, none of that can be reversed at all. And in a little less than half an hour now, my father is going to be waking up and he will be receiving several letters of notification and a single letter from me, to be delivered by my personal solicitor, detailing what it is that I have done."

She paused to take a steadying breath, but everyone could see she was borderline terrified. "My father is not a Death Eater, nor was he. He is, however, a staunch supporter of other Death Eaters, namely every single other member of my family. He's their Laundry-Man to use the muggle term. He is a legitimate business man and through him and his many businesses, a few of which you now own, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and all of his Death Eaters receive considerable funding. All of that funding has now been cut off cold, and is instead going into your vaults."

"So," she said after a healthy pause, "as you can now see, whether you accept my Contract or not makes no difference that I will not be returning to Slytherin dorms tonight. When my father and my relatives learn of what I've done... I'm dead. The only thing in question is how they'll get to me."

Getting a bit angry that this girl had potentially endangered the lives of those now under his protection, even worse from what they had been before just by being associated with him, he scowled at her and asked harshly, "Well then, what good is doing all that and then coming to me with a Slave Contract? They'll still try to kill you, only now they'll try and go through me and the rest of my family first!"

Daphne blinked, surprised, and then smiled warmly at the young man that could become her hero, in more ways than one. "You can protect me," she said.

"How? I'm not saying that I wouldn't, but with a whole family of Death Eaters gunning for me and mine for _personal_ reasons on top of Voldemort's orders," he ignored the room-wide flinch, and continued unabated, "it's going to be a bit harder than sneaking into the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic and fighting off a dozen Death Eaters! Not to mention, we can't exactly go into hiding so they won't have to look very far to find us!"

"You're forgetting something about pure-bloods, Potter," Daphne corrected him, "You _own_ Susan Bones, the heir of the Bones Family, _and_ Bones Manor, the Ancestral Home of the Bones Family. That automatically _makes_ you Lord Bones, on top of already being the Head of the Potter Line, and I heard you're even the Head of the Black Family, for all that's left of them. Thanks to my transactions yesterday and today, you are the sole owner of every piece of property the Greengrass Family ever laid eyes upon, including the Greengrass Ancestral Home. If you take me as your slave, you own me too, and my titles. So even though my father, the current Baron Greengrass, is still alive, the fact that _you_ own both the Ancestral Home _and_ the sole heir of the Head of the Family, that makes _you_ the new Head of the Family as well as the new Baron Greengrass. If any of my family shows up to contest this, you'd simply have to tell them to drop the matter and unless they wish to be disowned, which you could do, effectively kicking them to the proverbial street, they'd have to comply."

"There is also the matter that my father is also the CEO of several of the companies that you also now own. If you accept my contract, if he doesn't want to get kicked out himself, he would have to do your biding in all matters. Including run the businesses for your profit. There is also the matter that in order to get you the controlling interest in the Firebolt Broom Company, I had to have my father fired from his position therein. On the condition that he does nothing to spite you, you could give him his job back, and still maintain controlling interest in the company."

"If it helps," Daphne continued, "I do understand that I am placing an awful lot in your lap and I'm willing to work and make up for it, I assure you. I hold no expectations, but if you were to, hypothetically, order me to maintain and manage most of your new holdings, then, again according to the contract, I would be... 'forced' to do my absolute best in those duties to your best interests. Which means making sure that all of your companies are making you money instead of losing you money, and that all of your properties are being cared for, even if you never so much as set foot near any of them. Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"Of course," he agreed. Then promptly began slamming his head down on the coffee table.

"Don't worry, he does this sometimes when he's having trouble convincing himself to do the right thing," Luna explained to her newest sister-servant.

"Sometimes?" Tracey asked, trying a little humor to relieve the tension.

Luna shrugged. "He didn't do it yesterday, when he found out about Cho's contract."

Harry looked up, his forehead now quite red. He looked at Cho, then groaned, closed his eyes, and slammed his head on the little table with such force that it rattled and groaned. Of course, it covered his own painful groan quite nicely.

Finally, he stopped and leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling for several minutes, before taking a deep breath and letting out a long, slow sigh. He suddenly sat ramrod straight and stared Daphne Greengrass in the eyes and spoke with authority. "Baroness Greengrass, I, Lord Harry James Potter, on behalf of the Potter, Black, Bones, and whatever other families I speak for, accept your proposal, and I claim you as my property, as stipulated in the Formal Agreement Clause in your Contract. Welcome to the family," he added with a relieved smile and lighter tone.

Daphne had been wide-eyed since the moment he had snapped to attention, and as he spoke, they just got wider and wider. He had, of course, read the contract after Hermione had approved that it was safe to do so and explained the gist of it, but neither she nor Hermione had mentioned that Formal Agreement Clause. She had added it in, actually, quite simply because that was the way she had been taught to write up a Magical Contract. It had been sheer habit that she put it in now.

After all, nobody really followed 'Formal Agreements' all that often anymore, hence the 'Verbal Agreement' Clause, where two wizards agreeing to the terms was enough to have it validated. But the Formal Agreement, that was a step beyond, as it closed off numerous loopholes the Verbal Agreement left open. Not all of them, but enough to make a distinction and many still ignored it due to the fact that nobody really talked that way anymore. Quickly, she caught herself and gave her appropriate response.

"I acknowledge you, Lord Potter, as my Master and Owner and will serve you all of my days. And thank you, thank you so much!" she finally dropped the 'Ice Queen' mask as tears that she had barely been holding in for almost three days now spilled out and she nearly tackled him with a hug and began laying kisses of thanks and joy and gratitude all over him. He easily wrapped his arms around her and just held on, allowing the others, her sisters, to offer their own welcome and to hold her as well. They were all still like that an hour and a half later when the first Gryffindors began to filter down to start the day.

00000

At breakfast, some reorganizing had to be done, as a few of the others had complained that if they were rotating bed positions, they should rotate table positions as well, since there were only two spots that put them closest to Harry. So, this morning he had Ginny on his right (with Hermione between her and Ron to prevent another 'male bonding' issue) and Pansy on his left, while Tracey and Luna sat directly opposite, Cho sitting next to Susan, who was sitting next to Luna, and Daphne next to Tracey.

It wasn't so bad, but he was finding it even harder to convince these two than the ones yesterday that he didn't need to be hand-fed every little thing that went into his mouth. They also talked, and mostly between Harry and his two newest additions, so he could get to know them better.

Breakfast was a rather lurid affair, with Ginny not really taking 'no' for an answer, while Pansy was more subdued, but still got in a nice piece of fruit every now and then. Harry finally just shook his head, and allowed the girls to feed him.

Classes resumed, and even though he shared Potions with the Slytherins – an interesting affair, as Pansy sat down next to him, and Tracey and Daphne took up the seats before them. Pansy, considered top potions brewer in his little group, coached him through the entire lesson, explaining odd little bobs and ends that Snape had "forgotten" to mention during his classes over the years.

Harry actually managed to deliver an acceptable potion by the end of the lesson. Snape was almost seething red, but could not comment. As soon as he set foot outside, the Slytherin Trio tackled him, and he received three kisses, one from each girl, for his 'progress'.

He just looked strangely at Daphne. It seemed she had integrated herself quite well, and that only in a matter of hours. He shook that thought off. He just wished these girls would be in _all_ his classes. It would certainly make learning a lot more interesting. Especially if they chose to reward him like that...

He grinned. Maybe if Hermione had offered a kiss as incentive, he wouldn't have been so far behind. The grin vanished as he realized that his next lesson was without his Slytherin tutors. Saying goodbye to the girls, he stepped away to go to his next class.

Lunch was, it seemed, even more 'out there' then breakfast. Susan had procured the spot on his left, and _Cho_ of all people had sat down on his right.

He glanced from one to the other, gave them each a smile, and dug into his lunch.

Or tried to. Suddenly, his plate seemed to be in front of Cho, who was filling it with some meat, mashed potatoes, peas, and carrots.

"Eh..." he tried to protest. Cho smirked at him, then proceeded to cut the meat. "Cho?"

"Yes, Harry?" she asked.

"What are you doing?" he requested, not really sure this was happening.

"Cutting your meat, silly," Cho said on a mothering tone. The meat seemed to be cut into neat little squares. She looked over at Susan, who shot a grin right back. The Asian Head Girl passed the plate over to the Hufflepuff.

"Huh? _Now_ what?" Harry asked, suddenly seeing his plate in Susan's hands.

She speared some carrots. "Come on, Harry, open wide..."

"I _can_ feed myself!" he protested, feeling himself blush horribly as the rest of the table laughed at his outburst.

"Yes, but _this_ is so much more fun!" Susan said, happily, still holding the fork with the vegetables out for him. "And don't make me play the broomstick game."

Even _Harry_ knew his masculinity wouldn't survive if Susan started playing games designed to have babies eat. So, he obediently chewed the carrots. Next was some meat, then some potatoes.

"You girls are nuts."

"Thank you, Harry!" they all cried at the same time. He threw an especially strange glance at Cho, but the Asian witch seemed to be over her reluctance from yesterday, and was now quite happily joking away with the others. Glad to see that she was doing well, he looked back at Susan, who was now trying to feed him some custard.

Hm. Desert. His favorite part of the meal. Suddenly, he realized that he was actually starting to _enjoy_ this... He shook his head, took the next portion of custard, and swallowed. He'd find some way to get them to back off. But right now, he had eaten a good meal... hand-fed to him by a rather beautiful witch, so he didn't have the right to complain.

He'd just find a way to make it up to them.

Afternoon classes were rather comforting, leaving him alone to his thoughts as he shared no afternoon classes with Slytherin. The entire afternoon was spent with his head stuck in the clouds somewhere, trying to figure out how to deal with his expanding group of girls, what to do, how to deal with them. And, most importantly, how to get them to allow him to feed himself. That's humiliating.

At dinner, he was surrounded by Daphne and Tracey. He glanced from one, to the other, and a nervous glint appeared in his eyes.

They smiled sweetly at him.

Seeing a pair of Slytherin witches smile... sweetly... at him... somehow made him even more nervous.

"Girls, please," he tried. "I really appreciate it, but I _can_ eat by myself!"

"You let Cho and Susan," Tracey said, playing the guilt card.

"They _took me by surprise_!" he protested. "Before I knew it, Cho had her greedy hands on my plate!"

"My hands are very nice!" Cho protested, smiling a little.

"But they're also greedy!" Harry protested.

Cho shrugged. "As long as they're nice, I don't care if they're also greedy."

Harry stared at her for a few seconds, then shook his head, and tried to focus on the girls next to him. Tracey had his plate.

"Thanks, Cho!" the Slytherin said, grinning widely.

"Anytime, Tracey," the Ravenclaw Head Girl replied, returning the grin.

Harry groaned, and smacked his head against the table.

"You should stop doing that, Mr. Potter," McGonagall admonished as she walked by. Staring at his Head of House as she walked by with a betrayed look in his eyes, Harry just sat there, silent.

"I swear I'll get even with you evil wenches," he muttered.

"You love us too much for that," Daphne said, plastering herself to Harry side while Tracey was busy filling his plate.

"That may change if you girls won't let me eat by myself," he grumbled as Tracey started to cut the meat. "It's humiliating."

"Yet you're not _ordering_ us to stop," Tracey said, finishing her job and passing the plate on to Daphne, who was grinning widely, and stabbed a pour little piece of meat and held it out to Harry.

Harry just sat there, staring at Tracey.

"Let me guess, the thought never even crossed your mind," Tracey said.

Harry groaned.

"You didn't, did you?" Daphne said, from his other side, still holding the meat out. He opened his mouth, grabbed it, and started chewing. He shook his head. Finally, he swallowed.

"You know I don't want to do that. So, of course I didn't even think of it," he replied, accepting some vegetables from Daphne. "All I can do is plead."

The girls shared an uncomfortable glance. "We thought you liked this, and were protesting for the sake of protesting," Tracey said.

Harry shook his head. "I like eating," he replied. "A piece of fruit in the morning is one thing... as long as it's one, or two. But I most certainly don't need to be hand-fed."

Daphne quietly pushed the plate back over to him, the utensils right next to it. "Thanks, Daph," he replied, subconsciously using the same nickname he'd heard Tracey use that morning.

She smiled gratefully at him, and he dug in with gusto. Great. They were being quiet again. Harry sighed, feeling like a jerk. He'd need to make it up to them. Somehow.

Half an hour later, he was sitting in the library, a book written in cuneiform in front of him. He was idly flipping pages. Cuneiform made even less sense than Hieroglyphs.

He closed the book, not really into it tonight. He'd need to make things up to the girls. First of all, he would try and pick out a set of jewelry for Cho and Daphne. But, he'd also need to find something else...

Hm... They were sleeping in the Gryffindor Common Room, and that couldn't be good for them, either. He knew that girls liked their privacy, and they had virtually none now. Maybe he could find some other residence for them?

It had to be safe, and secure, and so on.

He thought back to the previous years at Hogwarts, trying to think of a decent, secure place for them to stay. That place where the Philosopher's Stone had been kept was out. As was the Room of Requirement.

But, the Chamber of Secrets... although filled with bad memories... was very secure. And it was big. Harry closed his eyes, and tried to think back on the Hieroglyphs. That ancient Egyptian magic had transformed Malfoy and his goons, and it hadn't even taken that much power. What _else_ could it do?

As he walked to the bathroom that housed the entrance to the Chamber, his thoughts seemed to organize themselves, and suddenly, a light seemed to go on. He blinked, then a slow grin formed on his lips, just as he walked into the girl's bathroom.

"Hello Harry," Moaning Myrtle said. "You've finally come back to see me," she muttered, rather angrily.

"I'm sorry, Myrtle," he replied honestly. He'd forgotten about her... he sighed. "I'm really sorry. Things have been very hectic for me." He leaned against one of the sinks, looking at the semi-transparent apparition that was the ghost Myrtle.

"Oh?" she asked, her anger forgotten. Harry _was_, after all, one of the few people who were nice to her. "What happened?"

In broad lines, Harry explained what had happened, and how much trouble he was in, trying to keep everyone happy, how they kept trying to push him into things, and so on. Myrtle listened attentively.

"I can see why that would be a problem," she replied. "I guess you're having bigger problems than little old me."

Harry shook his head. What was it with girls, winding him around their little fingers? "It's still not right," he replied. "After the help you gave me, I shouldn't have ignored you for so long. You helped me really well during the Triwizard Tournament, and you've always been rather nice to me." Granted, she moped and moaned, but she had never been _cruel_ to him. "I shouldn't have ignored you for so long. I'm sorry."

The ghost smiled. It was probably the only time he had seen her smile, didn't even know that Moaning Myrtle _could_ smile. "You're forgiven, Harry. You know, you can still come and haunt this bathroom with me when you die."

He smiled at her, recognizing that she wasn't making any innuendos towards his death, but rather, was offering for him to share what was basically her home. It was a nice gesture, one he wasn't sure he would have recognized before this entire mess started. If one thing had happened, he had learned a whole lot about... stuff.

"Thank you, Myrtle, that's very kind. But I'm not planning on dying yet. But, when it happens, I'll think of you," he answered back, repressing a shudder at the thought of dying, although it felt oddly... comforting... to know he'd end up okay if he did.

They made some smalltalk for the next half an hour or so, before Harry excused himself, saying he was rather curious about the Chamber of Secrets.

"Oh, it's fine!" Myrtle said. "Nothing's changed down there, although that big snake is now quite nicely decomposed. I go down there sometimes, when I want to be alone."

Harry nodded. "I understand the feeling," he replied, honestly. He really _did_ feel that way at times. Thanking Myrtle for her offer and her acceptance of his apologies, Harry opened the Chamber and slid down the greasy slide. That would be the first to go.

00000

After Supper, while Harry had gone off to the Library to calm down some more, Luna, for one of the few times since this whole mess began, invoked her authority as First of Harry's... new family, and gathered all of the girls together in one of the empty classrooms on the 6th Floor. Apparently, at one point in it's illustrious history, Hogwarts must have hosted something similar to a Muggle "Home Economics" class, because the classroom in question was filled with cloth material and other implements of sewing, weaving, and clothes-making, both magical and mundane.

"All right, Luna," Cho spoke first, her authority as Head Girl giving her the confidence to do so now, "what is this meeting here all about? I can understand Harry wanting to speak with us, for any number of reasons, but he's not here right now."

"Obviously," Daphne sarcastically retorted.

Luna interrupted before any sort of fight might break out. Although a cat-fight might be entertaining, she peripherally allowed herself to think, so it might be fun to organize one when Harry _was_ in the same room. But that was not the reason she needed to speak with her fellow servants, and the patience of some are significantly limited compared against that of others.

"Firstly, Head-Girl-Chang," she stated the girl's name almost as a single syllable, "I must apologize on behalf of Harry, myself, and the other girls. You were not previously informed that Harry appointed me as, to utilize the term he said, his First. Hermione did some research and found that in groups such as ours, where there is a single man placed in power over a group of five or more women that want him to ravish them," she ignored the exclamations that caused, "the man cannot be everywhere at once, and he cannot spend all of his time with his women, so in his stead when he is not present, he appoints one of the women, one who has proven her loyalty to him beyond doubt, as his First. The one that can speak in his name and with his authority. Allow me to repeat, in case there are any Auto-debilitating-swarthy present. They make it so that some people cannot hear a simple statement because they cause overwhelming excitement, disbelief, and outrage in humans."

Then Luna went from wandering over the entire group with her wide silver eyes, to looking Cho Chang directly into her soft brown orbs. Startled at the sudden and uncomfortable intensity she saw in her House-mate, Cho unconsciously took a step back as Luna repeated her words with an edge that made it sound as though she were shouting out loud compared to her normal way of speech.

"Harry made me his First. I speak with the same authority as if he were present and were one to give us instructions in any matter, ordinary, magical, or otherwise." All of a sudden, she switched back to a light and airy tone, saying, "I do hope that those Swarthy left already, Head-Girl-Chang, as I do not often enjoy repeating myself, except to rather interesting creatures, such as Crookshanks, Crinkled Geldherders, or Harry and Hermione."

The other six girls gulped nervously, silently swearing to never do anything to make Luna Lovegood angry with them. Ever. Quietly, Ginny whispered to Pansy, "If I ever do anything to piss her off, AK me first. Please."

"Only if it won't get her pissed off at me, then you're on your own," the raven-haired Slytherin replied.

"Now," Luna continued with her pleasant tone, "the real reason that I asked you all here, and here specifically, is because I have come to a startling realization. Well... actually, Ginny, Tracey, and I came to this realization, and we have come up with a simple and very effective solution."

"It would seem that over the years, either because of Ministry interference, loss of knowledge, or the influence of Brainivores, the uniform of the servants, or slaves, of the Potter Family have been lost as no one can seem to recall what it is supposed to look like, or even what it is supposed to be made of. As you can understand, this presents us with quite a dilemma seeing as we have all been serving Harry in nothing more than our Hogwarts School uniforms since our service to him began. It is really quite improper."

"So, Tracey, Ginny and I went to the Library to see if we could find the Potter uniform. Alas, the Ministry seems to have erased all traces of it. Perhaps the records were destroyed when the Vile Toad Umbridge usurped the position of Headmaster last year? In light of this development, we sought out new information, and looked though many, many, many books, trying to find a suitable replacement for us to continue our service to Harry. There were many that I liked, but Tracey and Ginny pointed out the flaws of a lot of them."

"Sadly, we could find only three that we agreed upon, but we all liked them so very much that none of us could decide. Then, Ginny was visited by muses bearing Felix Felicis, as she suggested that we keep all three uniforms, and simply use each for a different service. Such as cleaning the towers, scrubbing Harry's shoes, and making the bed while dusting everything. To walking around displaying that we are the servants of Harry James Potter, Boy Who Lived, Chosen One, Head of the Potter, Black, Bones, and Greengrass families, and 6th Year Student at Hogwarts. And maybe even something better to wear to bed than out transfigured School uniforms, which to be quite honest are starting to smell rather poor."

Frowning, at least one or two of the other girls lifted their own clothing to their noses and crinkled their faces up in disgust. Half a week wearing the same clothes, even transfigured and magically cleaned while transfigured, is no match for a House Elf washing.

"And seeing as it would be poor taste to simply go around transfiguring our normal clothing into copies of our uniforms, I suspected it might be more fun and enjoyable if we were to craft our own uniforms using the old Home Ec classroom. I do wonder if the Ministry had anything to do with the sudden cancellation of the Home Eccentricities Course at Hogwarts?"

"I'll take it from here Luna, if you don't mind that is," Tracey offered, not wanting to spend the whole night waiting for the others to interpret Luna-speak before they finally understood what it was they wanted to do.

Luna merely nodded her head while her wide silvery eyes began to scan around the room, apparently looking for clues of "Ministry interference", or simply taking a closer look at everything.

"While Luna has explained the basis and the overall gist of why we're here, allow me to go into the details," Tracey spoke to the rest of them. "Ginny, Luna and me did some research in the Library, looking mostly for ideas on what to base our own uniform on. It's actually quite galling that I didn't pick up on this sooner, but Harry's been so difficult that all his... _nobility_ has distracted me. Every Family has a standard uniform, and then specialized uniforms for their servants. Slave or otherwise," she added for Cho, Daphne, and Ginny's benefits.

"She's also right about the Potters not having a 'Servant Uniform' pictured anywhere, mostly because the past five generations of Potters, while able to afford it, didn't really have servants. So, we went hunting for a new uniform, completely original. We just needed a few inspirational ideas to help us along, as I don't think any of us, new recruits included, are all that good at clothing design?" They all, save Luna and Ginny, shook their heads to the negative.

"So, after all that, we've got three basic ideas left, and I'm with Ginny and Luna on this that we can switch between them, having one being our standard uniform, and the other two being specialized in one way or another. And while none of us are very good at designing, Luna has a fair penmanship when it comes to drawing sketches and artwork."

With that said, the older Slytherin pulled out three sheets of parchment from her bag and handed them to the four girls listening to her. Cho and Susan's eyes went wide, both looking up in momentary outrage at the other three girls behind this, but when they saw the next pictures, they kept their eyes glued to the parchment. Pansy and Daphne however were grinning wickedly from the start, and their smirks kept growing with each picture until they saw the one that Cho and Susan saw first.

"I take it, this is the 'Bedroom' uniform?" Daphne asked with a soft purr in her voice.

Tracey glanced over the edges, then matched her fellow Slytherins' grins and nodded her head.

"Well, as bad as we all are at clothes _designing_," Pansy interrupted, "I'm even worse with a thread and needle. My mother tried to teach me when I was young, but I kept poking myself with the needle! So, unless you've got a spell that can do all that for me, I won't be much help."

"Oh, that's easy," said Luna as she pulled out a book from her own bag and handed it to the group. '_Ten Easy Spells and Wand Waves to Embroidery and Stitching_' was the title. This time, even the non-Slytherins joined in the wicked smirks and gleeful looks.

00000

About an hour later, Harry was walking out of a door that replaced a password-protected sinking sink. Of course, the door was password-protected, as well as under the Egyptian equivalent of the Fidelius Charm.

He bid good evening to Myrtle, promised to come see her soon and talk, and walked to Gryffindor Tower. He had some other stuff to do... as well as take a shower. The Chamber was filled with crud of all sorts, plus he had a cave-in to clear, too.

As he entered the Common Room, and started walking to the boy's dorm, the girls stopped him. "I'm going to catch a shower first, girls," he told them.

"What have you been doing?" Tracey asked, wrinkling her nose at the dirt and grime that now covered him, as well as the stink of a good time spent working that clung to him.

"What have you been doing?" he parroted with a teasing smirk.

The Slytherin matched it and replied, "I asked first."

"I'm your boss," he said back.

Scowling, she acknowledged the defeat by answering with a simple, "Working."

"Now what have you been doing?" she asked again.

"Working," he turned her own answer back on her, grinning widely.

"On what?" Susan asked, curiously.

"Secret," Harry said, grinning as he walked up the stairs to the boy's dormitory.

"Want me to wash your back?" Luna asked, innocently.

"I can wash myself, thank you very much," Harry said, still grinning.

"Just thought I'd ask, on the off chance you wanted to ravish me," the blond Ravenclaw said with a disappointed shrug. Harry shook his head, and disappeared into the dorm he shared... used to share... _should_ share... with Ron and the others.

Half an hour later, dressed in a comfortable set of sweat pants and baggy t-shirt, a sparkling-clean Harry Potter sat down in his favorite couch, a girl pressed to each side, surrounded by the rest of his new and ever-extending family.

"Cho, Daphne," Harry said, waving his hand, whispering a single word under his breath, and materializing two packages. Egyptian magic was coming in handy, and he was discovering more to this mysterious and ancient form of magic all the time. Like this, a wandless summoning charm. "I know you've been in the family for a short time," he went on. "But I still wanted you to know that you're welcome here, that you'll always have someone in the family to be there for you. It was something I had to miss while growing up, and I wanted to make sure that any family of mine would _not_ have the same issues."

He swallowed. He still sucked at this kind of thing, but he felt that it needed to be said. "So, I wanted to give you these, as an official welcome to the family. The others received theirs yesterday. These come from the Malfoy Family Jewels. Plenty more where these came from," he joked, handing out the packages.

Both girls stared at him with open mouths, not having expected _anything_ like this. Daphne was the first one to open the package.

Inside was a necklace, made from silver and gold, simple, yet elegant. Decorated with tiny diamonds, the elegant piece of jewelry settled into a single blue gem at its base. Daphne blinked. "This is..."

"Yes," Harry said.

"Harry, this is the only blue diamond of its size," Daphne whispered. "It's probably worth as much as a house."

Harry shrugged. "Didn't know, don't care. As long as you like it, it's yours. I thought it fit you perfectly... elegant, sophisticated, and very, very unusual."

Daphne laughed. "Thank you for the compliment, I guess," she chuckled, looking at the other pieces in her set. Matched to the necklace were a pair of earrings, each done in the same silver and gold elegant style as the necklace, but they held tiny blue beryls, their wonderful color adding to, instead of being outclassed by, the blue diamond.

He suddenly found himself holding an ecstatic Daphne Greengrass, kissing him gratefully on the cheeks.

Meanwhile, Cho was practically trembling when she opened her box. She gasped when she did.

"Harry..."

Inside was a pearl necklace, the colors of the pearls matching her Asian features with a stunning beauty a regular gem could never match. The earrings were made out of gold and set with pearls, matching perfectly to her skin tone, her features, and the pearls of the necklace.

"I thought those would be perfect for you, Cho," Harry said, Daphne finally releasing him..

A second witch was suddenly around his neck, kissing him and thanking him, tripping over her own words. It was a strange sight, the Head Girl tripping over her own words.

The group relaxed, talked, joked, and talked some more. Soon, the evening had slipped away, and Harry stood up to make his way to the boy's dormitories.

"Oh no, you don't, Potter," Tracey said.

"We're _not_ having the same conversation every evening," Pansy insisted as well.

"But..."

"No buts," Susan said. "Now, get in the bed."

"But..." Harry tried again.

"Should I beg again?" Luna asked, already blinking her large, silver eyes. "You know I can do the pleading look really well."

Harry sighed, and admitted defeat. "I'm sure you can't blame a guy for trying," he said.

"No, we don't," Ginny said, grinning widely, grabbing his arm, and guiding him to the bed. "Now, get in the bed, so that Tracey and Susan can crawl up to you." She rubbed her hands. "And tomorrow is Pansy's and my turn." She grinned at Cho and Daphne. "You two get the day after that."

Harry just dropped into bed, and smiled when the girls spooned against him. He smiled wider when they all came over for a goodnight kiss... even Daphne wanted one. With a happy smile on his face, he closed his eyes.

_Another day... another girl added_, he thought right before sleep caught him. _Just where is this crazy roller coaster going to end, and how much longer before the other shoe drops? _He sighed once, grabbed a firmer hold of his bed-companions, and refused to let it bother him any longer. He was safe, warm, and felt loved. Why bother worrying of the future when the present was so much better?

Sleep claimed him soon after.

00000

"_It's too late Potter! Ahhahahahahahahaha!"_

_He knew that laughter. It haunted his dreams since he was thirteen and finally remembered the night his parents had been murdered. It became terrifyingly real after the Final Task of the Triwizard Tournament during his Fourth Year, and he finally met the evil being that bore that laugh. The evil thing that laughed as he killed a close friend and tortured him in a graveyard._

_Lord Voldemort._

"_No! Noooo! NOOOO!!"_

_More laughter. "There is nothing you can do now Potter! They're mine now! But since they've been polluted by your filthy half-blood hands and your muggle-friendly ideas, I think I'll save myself the disgust... and kill them!" That laughter was really starting to grate on his nerves._

_Then Voldemort cast the spell, "_CRUCIO!_"_

_They were suffering! They were in pain! They were being tortured!_

"_NO!" He couldn't move. Couldn't stop it. Couldn't do anything, but watch, helpless, as Voldemort slowly destroyed his family, all over again._

"_Ahhhhhh!" Luna screamed, her peaceful face twisted in agony._

"_Eeehhhh!" Susan cried out._

"_Gyeeaah!" Tracey grunted, trying to resist but that only made it worse._

"_Noaaaaahhhh! Merc-eeEEEEE!" Pansy screeched, reaching out for help._

"_Argh! Neh! AAAAHHHHHH!" Ginny arched from the pain, trying to escape but the torture continued._

"_AAHHH! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!!" Cho begged, rolling around on the floor in the throes of horror._

"_M-MASTER, HELP ME! HELP US! PLEEZZZZZ!" Daphne reached out for Harry, but he could do nothing._

Harry's eyes flashed open, his breath coming in deep and panting gasps. Slowly, the burning sensation of adrenaline faded from his wired muscles and flaming veins.

Slowly, he breathed in, held his breath, and slowly let it out, trying to ease the shot of adrenaline that had returned him to the waking world. The first nightmare he'd had since starting to sleep with the girls faded from his system, yet Harry was unable to go back to sleep.

He crawled out of bed, somehow managing to disentangle himself from Tracey and Susan without waking them. A motion of his wand rekindled the fireplace of the Common Room, and Harry sunk into a couch, clasped his hands in front of him, and stared into the living flames. Somehow, his mind kept replaying the nightmare, the horrible vision of possibility, etching itself into his long-term memory.

At the same time, Pansy, the light sleeper, looked at the silhouette sitting in front of the fire, the epitome of a broken man.

Gingerly, she crawled out of bed, and made a motion with her own wand, casting a wordless silencing spell so the others wouldn't be disturbed. Harry seemed engrossed in his own thoughts, not even seeing her get up, nor walk over to him.

When he finally did notice her, her shadow was already falling over him. He looked up at her, and for that one moment, she could see the pain etched on his face.

The next moment, she gasped, as Harry was on her, holding her in a tight hug, the likes of which he had never initiated on his own before. Not knowing the reason why, but understanding the raw need she could feel from his tight and tense body, Pansy held him as he slowly calmed down.

It was almost a minute later when he finally released her, and sunk back into his seat. "Sorry," he whispered in the semi-darkness, illuminated only by the dancing flames.

She sat down next to him. "Never apologize for hugging me, Harry," she replied, in the same tone of voice, even though she knew her silencing charm blocked out a lot louder than this.

She didn't ask what the matter was. She could see it from his posture, and his actions, that something huge was on his mind, yet she remained quiet, letting him work things through for himself.

He sighed, and stared into the fire. She slipped closer, and put her head on his shoulder. She had never done this to anyone before, and hoped that her presence was a comfort to him, rather than a distraction. Sometimes, being a Slytherin had its downsides. She had never been the one to offer comfort before.

"Sorry I woke you," he whispered.

"I'm a light sleeper," she replied. "Comes from being in Slytherin. Never let down your guard. In fact, I'm rather surprised Tracey and Daphne didn't wake up either."

He remained silent, not giving an indication that he even heard her admission. Finally, he spoke again. "I hope I didn't wake them."

"They wouldn't mind," she said, remaining in her position. She didn't want to ask.

They remained silent then, him, staring into the fire, her, closing her eyes, doing her best to be a comfort and not a distraction.

She yawned, unable to suppress it.

"Maybe you should go back to bed," he suggested.

_That's so you,_ Pansy thought. _Here you are, in the middle of the night, staring into the fire as if you've seen Death Incarnate, and all you care about is someone else._ "I'm staying right here," she stubbornly said. "You _need_ me here."

He was quiet. When Pansy thought he wasn't going to answer, he finally opened his mouth. "Thank you."

She smiled slightly. "You're welcome," she answered.

They lapsed into silence again.

It must have been a full twenty minutes before they spoke again. "You really aren't going to ask, are you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It looked like it was something you had to deal with yourself," she said. "If you want to talk, I'm here," she then offered, for the first time saying anything on the purpose of why they were here.

He nodded, going silent again. Finally, he sighed. "It was a nightmare. Voldemort... he got to you... was torturing all of you, in front of me... there was nothing I could do..."

She tensed at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "Sorry, bad habit," she said when Harry looked at her. "And I'm not going anywhere, if that is what you're afraid of. The others aren't going anywhere, either. And you, Harry... I've seen you. You put yourself in harm's way, you stepped in front of me, shielding me with your own body. If there's one thing I've learned these past few days, it's that you, Harry Potter, will never be just powerless. You won't let it. You've got a lot of power, Harry, and you seem to be growing stronger."

He sighed. "Sometimes, power isn't enough," he whispered, staring into the fire again.

"And sometimes, a dream is nothing more than a dream, and the future has yet to be determined," she answered. "We're here, Harry. We're not going anywhere. You're stuck with us."

His clasped hands turned white, such force he was using. "I'm scared," he admitted, finally. "Scared something will happen to you because of me, scared something will take you away from me. Scared I'll end up alone again." He looked like an old man, rather than a teenage boy.

Pansy hugged him. "We can take care of ourselves, Harry. And you can take care of us. We're not going anywhere," she repeated. "Nobody is going to take us from you. You won't let them. And, regardless of what you think... you have magical power, and you have political power now, too. You have four ancient families' worth of political influence... the Potters, the Blacks, the Bones', and the Greengrass'. You can, and you will, take care of us."

"But... after your contracts end..."

"Daphne and Ginny are tied to you for the rest of their lives," Pansy said, gently. "And, if you think for a moment that I'm going to leave you after all this, you're sorely mistaken." Harry looked at her then, a shocked look on his face. "And I'm sure the others feel the same way."

"But..."

"It takes more than a contract to make a family," Pansy said, smiling slightly. "And you, Harry, have been very good family." She stood up, and held out her hand. "Come on, let's get back to bed."

He nodded, grasped her hand, and lifted himself to his feet. To his surprise, she leaned closer, and kissed him. Lightly, like a butterfly, on the lips. It was gone so fast he didn't have the time to react, before she guided him back to the bed.

"Sleep tight, Harry," she said, dissolving her Silencing Charm.

"You too, Pansy," he replied, still a little shocked over what just happened. He settled back in between Susan and Tracey, who seemed to be holding on to themselves, now that Harry was gone.

As he slipped in between them, the girls latched on to him, tighter than before, as if they didn't ever want to let go. He closed his eyes, and let his mind relax. Maybe Pansy was right, and he didn't need to worry so much about all this.

As sleep started to overcome him, he failed to notice a pair of silver eyes trained on him.

"Thanks, Pansy," Luna whispered, within their own, small, silencing charm.

"I'm just glad I could help him," the Slytherin replied. "Although I don't know why you asked me..."

"He saved you," Luna said. "I thought he'd react better to you, whom he saved when he didn't need to. He could relax around you, show his true feelings. If I had gone, he would have retreated, and tried to play strong, as if we were still in the Department of Mysteries."

Pansy stared at the blond Ravenclaw. "You're very good at this," she finally admitted.

"Thank you," Luna said, airily, dissolving the Charm. The Slytherin pressed tight against the Ravenclaw, and the two girls were soon fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Poker Game**

Harry Potter and the others do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this, and I wouldn't be short on cash. 

In this story, I'm making some assumptions on the value of the Galleon. Seeing as we are generally rather uninformed about prices in the wizarding world, I'm basing my assumptions on the end of book four. Harry gave Fred and George 1000 Galleons to open the joke shop. Assuming that the twins had some money of they own, and the money was enough to cover rent for at least a few months, as well as getting stock, inventory, and doing testing of various items, I'm assuming that 5000 Galleons is enough to buy a small house in the country, and 10,000 would get you a reasonably sized house. 

_The Poker Game – an HP shortfic by Enterprise1701d and Joshua The Evil Guy_

**Chapter Five**

"Harry Potter!"

Harry groaned, and tightened his arms around the pleasant warmth pressed against his sides. He felt the girls press closer to him in response. This was warm, damnit, and he wanted to keep sleeping.

"Wake up, or you'll be late for class!" 

Harry groaned louder. Tracey and Susan appeared to mimic the sentiment, as two female groans came right after his, and a smile appeared on his face. _That's my girls,_ he thought, before checking himself. When had they become _his_ girls? Hm... probably about the same time those blasted contracts said they were. He opened one eye, and glared at the blurry form of Hermione. "I think I'll stay in bed," he grunted. "This is warm and comfortable."

Tracey and Susan groaned affirmatively, and tried their best to nestle even closer to him. He obliged, and tightened his arms closer around them. 

_Uh-oh_, the blur had moved its position, and Harry guesstimated that Hermione had now placed her hands on her hips. Without seeing her face, he couldn't say for certain, but it looked like her 'Bossy, You-Will-Follow-The-Rules!' stance. The blur came into focus as Luna pressed his glasses to his face. 

"Thank you, Luna," he said. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Harry," Luna replied, smiling daintily, before spooning once more against Susan's back. Susan let out a contented groan. 

"Good morning, girls," Harry then said, trying to see who else was awake, and who was trying their best to ignore Hermione's attempts at rousing them. 

"Good morning, Harry," they all replied, albeit some of them were sounding rather sleepy. Even Luna replied once more, and it made him shake his head. 

He finally opened his second eye. "Fine, we'll get up. No need for a water-hose charm," Harry muttered, seeing the beginning of the incantation, as performed by his friend. The bushy-haired prefect nodded.

"Good, and don't you forget it," she said, turning around and sitting down by the fire, obviously waiting for them to get ready. 

Their little privacy-warded corner was getting rather full now, as six girls' trunks had to be stashed, as well as the ever-expanding bed. Harry managed to slip away upstairs, and emerged ten minutes later, fully dressed. 

Meanwhile, a quick Transfiguration and a couple of cleaning charms had made sure that the girls were dressed as well, but for some reason, they were still rummaging through their trunks. Harry shrugged at Hermione, not sure what it was about. She frowned slightly, not liking the fact that she didn't know something.

By the time the girls joined them, the reason for their added rummaging had become clear... Hermione stared, and Harry grinned.

The girls were wearing the necklaces he had given them, the extra pieces left in the boxes they came in, ready for formal occasions. "Glad to see you look as great with those as I thought you would," Harry said. "But... why?"

"To show we're part of your family, silly," Ginny said, shooting him a big grin. "After all, you gave these to us as some form of welcoming, so we thought, we might as well wear them."

Harry shook his head. "Well, you look great in them."

"Thank you, Harry!" the girls chimed at the same time.

"So, Hermione," Luna said. "Aren't you going to wear yours?"

Hermione turned flaming red. "But... but... it's so pretty... I can't wear it for every day use..."

"Sure you can," Harry said. "If you want to wear them, go right ahead!"

"Then you're almost like part of the family," Luna pressed on. She looked at Daphne. "I'm sure Daphne can help you write up a decent contract. Then all we need is you and Harry to sign it, we can witness, I'm sure."

Hermione's color deepened. Harry laughed, then stopped, and considered something.

"You know," he began, causing Hermione to glare at him.

"Don't you _dare,_ Harry James Potter! I'm _not_ signing some servitude contract!" she shouted.

He waved her threat off. "That wasn't what I meant, Hermione. What I meant was, every day since that damn poker game of Malfoy's, I've had one girl after another either thrown in my lap, through various means, or have girls join me out of their own free will... I can't help but wonder, is today going to be different? I mean, if this goes on, I could end up with half the female population of Magical Britain as my personal slaves!"

"Oh, that would be fun," Luna said. "These girls have been too well-behaved... and part of the fun of being First is being able to punish insubordinate underlings." She smiled wide, and rubbed her hands. "And I have just the whip for those occasions..."

The girls shuddered. Hermione glared. Harry shook his head, he had come to expect things like that from Luna by now. "Come on, let's get some breakfast. And see if there is some other unfortunate young woman I'm now obliged to take care of."

"You just _love_ tempting fate, don't you?" Hermione asked as they left the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Are you afraid that it won't be you?" Luna asked Hermione.

"_What_?" Hermione nearly screeched.

"You seem like you'd like to join, but you don't want it to be your choice," the blond Ravenclaw said. "I've heard of girls who like to be forced." Her airy eyes became even more airy. "It might be fun... to have Harry push me down on the mattress, holding me down, forcing me to bend to his will. Of course, I'll resist, if that's what he wants, but in the end..."

"Luna," Harry muttered.

"Yes, Harry?" Luna answered brightly.

"I'm _not_ going to force you."

"Oh, poo," Luna grunted. "You won't ravish me, you won't force me... when are you finally going to make me a woman?"

Harry, even though he was getting used to the strange girl, hadn't seen _that_ one coming. To make matters worse, some of the other girls echoed the sentiment. To his utter surprise, not just Tracey and Ginny, but Daphne as well, while Susan looked interested, Pansy had a strange gleam in her eyes, and Cho was looking just as shocked as he was, he reckoned. Hermione was looking part outraged, part shocked, and her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, totally speechless. 

Finally, they managed to get down to breakfast. And they all managed to sit together, too... his housemates very nicely making room for Harry and the girls. Of course, they were all grinning at him, hoping for a repeat performance of yesterday. It was so much fun to see him be bossed around by a bunch of girls... even if, technically, he should be the one doing the bossing around.

As they ate, the conversation turned light and teasing again, and soon Harry was joking around with his new family. 

Of course, that was when fate intervened. Harry looked up, and frowned, when a group of five men walked into the Great Hall. All of them shot him a glare, before walking resolutely to the High Table, aiming straight for the Headmaster.

"What was that about?" he wondered out loud. 

Daphne drew pale. 

"Daph?" Harry asked.

"My family," she muttered. 

Harry bit back a curse. And this had promised to be such a nice day, too. "Daph, Luna. I think you'd better join me... I'm going to ask if we can discuss this in the Headmaster's office. At least we'll have privacy there."

Tracey and Pansy shot him angry looks, while Cho and Susan just looked confused, and Ginny bore a part affronted, part disappointed look. Noticing their looks, Harry replied to their unasked questions. "Daphne set this whole thing up. I need her expertise in the matter. And Luna is my First. I don't want to give the impression that I'm bearing down on them with an army, and have them do something stupid."

They all stared at him as he walked to the front, Luna and Daphne right behind. The lead man of the group was conversing, quite angrily it seemed, with Professor Dumbledore. 

"Perhaps we'd best settle this in the Headmaster's office?" Harry asked, sounding very polite about it. "It will provide us the privacy to discuss this like gentlemen."

"There is nothing to discuss," the man said, angrily. 

"Daddy..." Daphne pleaded. 

The man grew even angrier. "You are no daughter of mine," he bit. "I have come here to order the arrangement of the return of all my goods, and to order restitution payments from your new _master_ to keep us from reporting a complaint against him."

Harry's fist closed. "That is your right, of course," he muttered, coldly. Daphne's eyes locked on him. She had heard that tone of voice only once before... when it was directed against Professor McGonagall. "But we'd still better do this in the Headmaster's office, with his agreement, of course."

Professor Dumbledore looked at Harry with a sad look in his eyes. "Of course," he said, sounding gracious. "Perhaps we'd best do this immediately."

"Very well," the man, the former Baron Greengrass, stated, sweeping around and striding down the Great Hall. Evidently, the man was a Hogwarts Alumnus, as he seemed to know exactly where the Headmaster's office was.

00000

Harry followed the group, and glanced at Daphne. "I'm not going to let them hurt you," he said. "They can say what they want to me, but I will not permit them to hurt you."

Daphne gave him a small, yet grateful smile. Harry dipped his head, and glanced at Luna. The blond Ravenclaw seemed to understand his glance. She slipped closer to Daphne, providing a comfortable and reassuring presence. Harry unclenched his fist, only now realizing that he had been clenching it so hard that his fingernails were started to tear into his skin. 

Finally, they were in private. The moment the door closed, the former Baron turned on Harry.

"I don't know what kind of sorcery you used on my _former_ daughter, but it will not carry!" he snarled. "I have the finest legal minds looking into this situation, and we will find a way to get back what you stole from us! If you think for one moment that a stupid little half-blood brat like you can steal from the Greengrass family and get away with it, you have another thing coming! I will have you before the Wizengamot, and I will _destroy_ you!"

Harry just stood there, in silence, not saying anything.

Emboldened by Harry's lack of response, the man stepped closer to Harry, grabbed him by the front of his uniform, and pulled him closer. "I swear I will take everything from you, the way you tried to take everything from me. I will have your money, your property, and I will even take those sluts you've gathered around you. You seem to be very lenient with them. I'm sure I can teach them to be _proper_ servants." He glared at Luna, then glanced at Daphne. "Even if some of them used to be family."

Harry's fist clenched again. "Out of a promise I made to one member of my family," Harry said, his voice carrying even though he had obviously spoken in a whisper, "I will not destroy you for the comment you have just made. I will, however, say this nicely." Harry's hands came up, and suddenly he was clear of the grip the man had on his clothes. In fact, there seemed to be a meter of space between them now. 

"If you ever... _ever_ raise your voice, your hand, or your wand against a member of my family, your property will be the _least_ of your worries." Suddenly, the room seemed to shrink as the air thickened, and Harry's green eyes glowed gold briefly. "You may say to me what you wish. You may threaten me, if you wish. But threaten my family... and you will see _why_ I have survived multiple encounters with Voldemort." This time, Harry was quite pleased to see everyone, save Dumbledore, flinch at the name of the Dark Lord.

Daphne placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, drew a deep breath, and let it go. "Your _daughter_," he said, adding emphasis, "came to me. There was no hexing or sorcery involved. We signed a magically binding contract, her and I." He looked back to the former Baron. "That means, your properties are now mine. Your vaults are now mine. In fact, as I have the sole Greengrass Heiress, as well as the Ancestral Properties, _I_ am now the Baron Greengrass, as well as Head of the Family."

"You're no Head of our Family!" another of the men present. Daphne silently indicated that he was an older cousin on her father's side. "We will never support or acknowledge you, _Half-Blood_! You mongrel dog! You are a disgrace to wizard-kind and we will..."

"That's enough," Harry whispered, yet the room silenced immediately.

"I'm sure I don't need to explain things to you, _Daddy_," Daphne spoke up suddenly, "seeing as you have the 'finest legal minds looking into the situation', but between the Contract that Harry and I signed, as well as the incentive that I gave him, which included all of the Greengrass properties, and everything else you ever owned, he really is the _legal_ Head of the Family, even if every last one of you were to swear otherwise before the Full Wizengamot, I made absolutely sure that there is nothing you can do about it. Harry even accepted me with the Formal Agreement, full titles invoked."

Daphne's father paled significantly, hissing under his breath while the others behind him either looked confused, or royally pissed off.

"You don't have a legal leg to stand on," she continued, "So whether you accept him as the Head of the Family or not, that doesn't matter. If he so wished it, he could disown every single member of the Greengrass family, save for myself, and every single last one of you would be left penniless, unable to even make a claim to your own name."

Seeing that she needed to say that, Harry had allowed her to speak in confronting her own family, but when they began to shift from frustrated and angry, to murderous, he stepped forward, pulling Daphne behind him as he did so, closing the distance between himself and the former Baron Greengrass. Finally, the man snorted and turned his head around, saying, "You're no daughter of mine. When I reclaim my title, _you_ will be the one disowned! Then you and the other bints can find your own work on the street!" Hearing this, Harry had had just about enough of the man.

Suddenly, his wand was in his hand. "Leave this place, now, and I will provide a magically binding contract, as created by my Investments Manager." He motioned for Daphne. "Said contract will be magically binding, and will have not a single loophole, like the ones she used to wrest control away from you lot. Basically, it will provide you with generous income, as well as room, in the form of the properties you now inhabit. That, gentlemen, is the carrot."

He lifted his wand, and his eyes were suddenly glowing again. "This here, is the stick. Do not comply, and I will hex you into next Tuesday for the threat you just made against my family members, promise or no promise."

The former Baron reached for his wand. Harry tensed, and they could see the tip of his wand starting to glow. The man dropped his hand. Harry relaxed slightly, obviously eager to hex the man, but too honorable to fire the first curse. 

"Very well," he muttered. "What will be our responsibilities, if we sign such a contract?"

"Basically, you will be compelled, magically, to perform to the best of your abilities as CEOs of the various companies that have now appeared to be under my complete control," Harry said. "My Investment Manager will be more than happy to give you the contracts to sign."

The group of men that left the Headmaster's office was no longer the small mob that had burst into Hogwarts. Instead of five men, feeling in control of themselves, five defeated human beings left the school.

Afterwards, Harry's wand was put back where it belonged, and he sunk into a chair. "I came this close to hexing them," he whispered, more to himself than to Dumbledore, Luna, and Daphne.

Suddenly, he found himself enveloped in a hug. "Thank you, Harry."

He smiled tiredly. "You're welcome, Daph. I'm glad they accepted the deal... I didn't want to hex them, and break my promise to you."

"They were all in Slytherin," Daphne said. "They would have taken the deal in any case. Right now, they're probably still trying to find loopholes. In another week or so, they'll resign to the fact that there aren't any, and resign themselves to the fact that you now, in a sense, _own_ them."

Harry shrugged. "Come on, let's go to class. I have History of Magic, which means I can nap a little. That _conversation_ wore me out."

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked, having remained silent until now.

"Headmaster?" Harry asked, lifting an eyebrow, wondering what the old man wanted.

"I am proud of you, my boy. That was an admirable thing you just did."

Harry dipped his head. "Like Daphne said... they're now tied to me. If they betray me, they lose their income, their jobs, and their house. Instantly. Perhaps a good hexing would have been more... _humane_." He drew a breath, and placed an arm around Luna and one around Daphne. "But I made a promise, and I will always try and keep my promises. I just hope that nobody ever forces me to collect on the promise I made regarding what would happen should someone hurt a member of my family." He dipped his head. "Good day, Headmaster."

Dumbledore nodded. "I understand, Harry. Good day."

00000

Later that morning, Luna and Ginny joined the Slytherins, well... Harry's Slytherins at a secluded spot just off of the Main Hall from the entrance. Cho was performing her Head Girl duties, which she had been ordered to keep up with by Harry himself, and Susan had class with the other Hufflepuffs. The Fifth Year girls though had a momentary break between classes and had tracked down their fellow servants to discuss a matter of some urgency.

"So, how are your uniforms coming along, girls?" Luna asked as the sat down.

Well... urgent for women.

"Almost finished," Tracey gushed enthusiastically.

"I've finished two of them," Daphne answered, a bit less enthusiastic than her friend ever since her Family had left earlier.

"Hey, it'll be OK," Pansy tried to comfort her fellow Slytherin. "Harry will take care of everything, there's nothing to worry about with your Family."

"I know, it was just... hard," she finally admitted.

"How are the Contracts going? For the rest of your Family, I mean," Tracey asked.

Her friend simply nodded along, answering, "I should have them completed by tomorrow night, ready for signing by Saturday. Although, I think I'm going to get Granger... I mean, Hermione to help me out. Just to double-check for any loopholes that I might've missed. I'm not about to disappoint Harry after all this, and yes, I know," she said to the withering looks the other Girls gave her, "even if I did the worst job possible, Harry wouldn't be disappointed in me. I just don't want him to get hurt because of me. This _is_ my Family after all, and while they don't openly admit it, and I'm certainly not proud of them for it, more than half of them are Death Eaters or Death Eater-wannabes, which is sometimes worse!"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Ginny commented, sounding very carefree all of a sudden. She gave her fellow slave a conspiring wink, "Harry may not be the Smart One, or even all that smart about legal stuff and all the pure-blood crap that goes on these days. But he has also faced down the worst Dark Lord in over a century, killed him, or representations, at least twice over. Dueled him and came out the victor, and lead a handful of _students_ into the Department of Mysteries and not only escaped, but held their own against a dozen fully-trained adult Death Eaters. If any of your Death Eater-wannabe family members actually _want_ to risk opposing the Chosen One, I pity the poor sods."

"There is also that Harry very rarely kills anything that he fights against," Luna pointed out. "He merely makes them _wish_ they were dead, after facing him."

The Slytherins all gulped as that realization set in, and they had to acknowledge that it was the truth. Just take a look at Malfoy and his goons.

"So, back to your uniforms, do you think that you will have them ready by tonight, or should we hold our presentation off for tomorrow?" Ginny asked to get them back on track. "Susan is done with all of hers, and Cho said she's almost finished, just a few final touch-ups. Luna and I finished ours last night."

"No, we're definitely doing it tonight," said Tracey adamantly. "I still can't believe that we've gone this long without uniforms as it is! And Harry's going to be a tough sell on it. If it were anyone else..."

"If it were anyone else, we wouldn't even be doing this," Pansy finished for her friend.

"True," she acknowledged.

"We have a break after our next class," Daphne spoke to Luna, "We'll sneak back out and finish ours during then. Everything else will be ready."

"Uh, well, there is one thing we still haven't taken care of, actually," Ginny pointed out.

"What?" the others all asked together.

"_Where_ are we going to give him the presentation? I mean, I'm all for doing it, but _only_ for Harry. And the Gryffindor Common Room doesn't really get empty until almost midnight some nights. Not to mention, all of us being Fifth Years or above, there is still a curfew that we have to be in the Common Room, no matter which House we are, by 11pm, 10pm for Fourth Years and younger."

"Hm... That could be a problem," Tracey admitted.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Luna mysteriously replied. When they all looked at her, expecting further explanation, she simply gave them a very Dumbledore-esque smile. Before they could ask though, the Slytherins all noticed the time.

"Damn," cursed Daphne, "we have to head off to class with the Hufflepuffs now, otherwise we'll be late. I'll be expecting a proper answer out of you afterwards, Lovegood."

"So long as your uniforms are done in time, I will be more than happy to give you one Daphne," said Luna airily.

Grumbling about unreasonable Firsts under their breaths, the three Slytherins ran off to class, while Harry's two Fifth Year Servants went to enjoy their Break.

00000

Surrounded by most of his girls, Harry was having lunch. Every five seconds, he threw a look at the door. "Where _are_ they?"

Luna shrugged. "I last saw them two hours ago. We discussed something, then they went to class. The Slytherins shared it with the Hufflepuffs."

Harry didn't look pleased. Why should he, with four of his girls missing? Last night's dream popped into his mind. What if something had happened to them? He gulped down his goblet of pumpkin juice, and played with his food. Worry vanished his lack of appetite. 

He was seriously contemplating getting up, grabbing the Marauder's map from his trunk, and going on a girl-hunt, when Susan entered the Great hall in a hurry. 

"Susan?" Harry asked, glad to see at least _one_ of the missing ladies show up. 

"They... they..." Susan wheezed, short of breath. "They attacked Daphne," she breathed and wheezed. "We... we fought them off. The other Hufflepuffs helped."

The goblet in Harry's hand, although made out of metal, twisted into an unrecognizable shape. "Where is she?" he asked, his voice cutting through the Hall like a cold polar wind. 

"Tracey, Pansy, and I got her to the Hospital Wing," Susan said. "We got them off her before they did serious damage-"

He didn't hear the rest of the her statement, as he was already out of the Great Hall, racing to the Hospital Wing at top speed. 

_Daphne..._ First, her family had shown up. _Now this..._ Harry's fists clenched as he pumped his legs faster, demanding more speed out of his body. He _needed_ to be there. Why hadn't he been there to protect her? _Why_? Why did he allow them to be hurt? Why hadn't he taken care of this before now? 

He was at Madam Pomfrey's domain before he knew it, and pushed inside with little to no regard for the sanctity of a place of healing. His eyes locked onto the form on the bed. He was at her side in no time, holding one of her hands.

"Daphne," he choked out. 

"Hey, Harry," the Slytherin greeted him with a smile. She startled when she saw the raw anguish on his face. 

"Are you okay? What happened?" he asked, gently, holding her hand as if it were made of glass, and would shatter at the slightest touch. Even with that light grip, she could feel him trembling.

"She's going to be fine," Pansy said, slipping into his field of vision. So focused had he been on the injured girl that he had completely missed the fact that Pansy and Tracey were in the room as well.

"It was a Dark Curse, true, but we managed to get the rest of them away from her before they could do serious damage," Tracey added in.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked the other two girls, absorbing that little piece of information.

"Yeah, we're fine," Pansy replied, understanding in her eyes, recognizing the effect this would have on him, after last night's dream.

Harry looked back down to Daphne. "How bad is it?"

"Just a curse to the back," she muttered. "First, it was burning. But after the nurse treated me, it's down to a tingle. She says I can leave here tonight, right before dinner."

Harry shuddered. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I wasn't there. I promised... promised I wouldn't let them hurt you..."

Daphne looked at him with pained eyes, and placed her free hand on his shoulder. "You can't be _everywhere_, Harry. I didn't think they'd be stupid enough to try and attack me during the day. I'll be fine. The others helped me out... to my surprise, the _Hufflepuffs_ helped me out, too. I guess, after Susan drew her wand, they all stuck together."

He fell forward, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm so glad you're going to be alright," he muttered in her hair. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry you got hurt. It shouldn't have happened." His trembling was getting harder. 

She hugged him back. "I'm fine, Harry," she whispered, trying to comfort him. "You did everything you could. I don't blame you. I'm fine, I'll be out of here by this evening. The others covered for me..." She held him tighter when he shook, obviously fighting his own emotions. 

"It's alright, Harry," she repeated once more. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

Slowly, he released her. "Thank you," he whispered. "I'm not sure I'm as forgiving as you are." He swallowed. "How can I ever forgive myself..."

"Harry, stop," she commanded.

He blinked, and shut up. "It was _not_ your fault. You were having your _own_ classes. Trace and Pans were there, Susie was there, the 'Puffs were there. They had my back. And I will have theirs. You can't coddle us, you can't protect us all the time, or keep us locked up for our own safety. Things like this will happen, and, thankfully, we have each other covered."

He nodded, dumbly, finally beginning to understand where Dumbledore could have gone wrong. Was this what the Headmaster had gone through when he locked Harry with the Dursleys? Was this what the Headmaster had been trying to do? Protect him to the point of locking him up?

Harry's hand clenched. If so, he would show the aging old bastard just _where_ they differed. 

"Harry?" Daphne asked, seeing the clenched hand and the hard look on his face.

"Who was it?" he asked.

Daphne swallowed at the raspy sound of his voice. "Montague. He was the ringleader. Millicent Bullstrode and Theodore Nott went along with it..."

Harry nodded, and patted her hand. He looked at Pansy and Tracey. "Please, take care of her."

"Harry, I'm not an invalid!" Daphne protested.

"And I don't trust Dark Curses," Harry muttered, standing up. "I'm sorry, Daphne. I'm sorry you got hurt, I'm sorry it was because of everything that's happened. And please... excuse me, for I have an important meeting to attend to." He turned around, and started walking to the door to the Infirmary, his right hand clenched. As he left, the others were just arriving. With a few words to them, asking them to take care of Daphne, he swept past them.

"Did you feel that?" Daphne asked the other girls.

"I've never felt his magic so... angry," Pansy replied. "Even while defending me."

"This morning, I felt it, as well;" Daphne then said. "When he was standing up to my family. But it wasn't that powerful... nor that controlled."

"He's getting stronger each time he does that," Tracey said. "As if he's growing magical muscles."

"One thing is for sure, whatever the reason he's getting stronger is," Pansy said.

"I wouldn't want to be Bullstrode, Montague, or Nott," Daphne agreed.

"Think he's going to make good on his promise?" Tracey asked.

"Definitely," Pansy replied. "They way he looked, even Death Eaters would be scared of him. I've never seen him like that."

"They hurt one of us," Daphne said. "He's not going to show mercy."

00000

Harry re-entered the Great Hall. His eyes scanned the room in a single glance. Squaring his shoulders, he walked to the Hufflepuff table. 

"To those who helped Susan this morning, I thank you," he said. "Even though you didn't have to, you chose to defend someone in need. Someone very dear and very close to me. For that, I can never repay you. All I can offer is my thanks, and my pledge. If you ever are in need, be it of a roof, a meal, or anything else, ask, and it's yours." He swallowed, then bowed deeply. "I am in your debt. Thank you."

The Great Hall had grown completely silent as Harry spoke, and the Hufflepuffs stared at him with mute shock and awe. Never would they have expected Harry to come to them, and thank them this publicly.

Before the Hufflepuffs in question could say anything, he swept around, and walked to the Slytherin table. 

Grabbing the first seventh year he came across, the Boy-Who-Is-Pissed lifted him out of the seat, actually suspending the older boy in mid-air, two fists closed on his uniform. "You will tell me where I can find Bullstrode, Montague, and Nott."

The Seventh Year shook his head, and had a cocky grin, despite not being on the ground. "In your dreams, Potter."

Harry smirked without humor, dropped the boy, and grabbed his wand with blinding speed. "I will have the information, one way or the other," he intoned. "I explained what would happen to those who _dared_ lift hand or wand against those I consider family. And I keep my promises. Right now, you are keeping me from fulfilling my promise." The magic tightened around Harry. "That means you are my enemy."

The boy gulped once, then threw a look at his Head of House, still present even though lunch was winding down. Snape stood, and started walking to the confrontation.

Harry's wand snapped around, catapulting the boy over the table. "Where are they?" he asked, still not raising his voice. 

"Potter!" Snape snarled, only now raising his wand. Harry didn't look at him.

"Talk," the Gryffindor said, jumping onto the Slytherin table, staring down at the Seventh Year, prone on the floor. 

He felt, rather then heard, Snape's stunning spell. His wand seemed to blur, as the spell deflected into a nearby wall. Harry's head turned, slowly. The Enchanted Ceiling clouded over, and Enchanted Lightning was followed by a crack of Enchanted thunder so loud that it made the tables rattle. "Do not stand between me and my Chosen Target, Potions Master," Harry intoned, coldly. Snape actually paused for a moment, then smirked, and shot a Dark Hex at Harry.

"Wrong choice," Harry replied, a single motion of his wand deflecting the curse, a second motion flowing into the first causing a detonation of magical energy that slammed into the greasy Professor, lifting him off his feet and punching him into the wall behind the High Table, knocking the man out cold. He had flown through half the length of the Great Hall from a single spell.

Harry's focus never wavered from his chosen target, and he slowly brought his wand back to bear upon the seventh year. "Where are they?" he asked, in a totally flat and unemotional voice.

Most people could deal with rage and anger, they could even deal with pleading and weeping, but most people could _not_ handle a totally apathetic loss of emotion. When confronted by a person exhibiting not a single emotion, they froze.

The seventh year was no different. "I... eh... I..."

Harry's wand jerked. The boy was flung halfway through the Great Hall, and skidded along the granite floor. Harry calmly turned and started walking along the Slytherin Table, upon which he still stood.

Only now had he turned into a position where the rest of the Great Hall could see him, and a collective gasp went out from student and teacher alike. His eyes were solid gold, and the tip of his wand was a burning white. In fact, the rest of his wand was as red as its tip was white, and there wasn't a single person present who didn't realize that _this_ was Dumbledore's successor as most powerful wizard alive.

"Where are Montague, Bullstrode, and Nott?" Harry asked, flatly. 

"Common Room!" the boy screamed. "They're in the Common Room!" He glanced at his unconscious Head of House. "They... they thought Snape would protect them!"

Harry swept around, and set a pace out of the Great Hall. "Nothing can protect them," he replied, levelly. "Merlin Himself could rise from the dead and not be able to protect them."

With those words, he exited the Great Hall. "He... he didn't even ask for the password," the seventh year muttered. 

"Where I am," Harry's voice replied from beyond the Great Hall, "one does not need passwords."

"Oh, Hell," the boy said in pure shock, not realizing he was soiling himself.

"Hell indeed," Dumbledore said, frozen on his throne-like chair at the center of the High Table. "It looks as if young Harry has been reading in the Restricted Section."

"It looks as if he's been doing more than just reading," Professor Pomona Sprout replied. 

00000

Harry walked into the dungeons, crystal-clear memories supplying him where the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room was. He had been there once before, during his second year, under the guise of polyjuice potion. 

A double-flick of his wand forced a screech from the entrance, and Harry calmly walked through the hole he'd bored through the defenses. "Bullstrode, Nott, Montague," he demanded. "Appear before me." He glanced around. "Do not make me come and look for you. I'm angry enough as it is!"

For the first time, he raised his voice. It boomed and cracked like thunder and lightning, cutting through the air and lashing the present people like a bull whip. The magic within and without Harry crackled and pulsed, and they all felt it resonate deep within them. It was _horrible_. Instantly there was a mass exodus as anyone not willing to get between Potter and his targets, which was no one, scrambled to get out of his way as fast as they could.

A spell lashed at him from the left. A single flick of his wrist flung it into the ceiling. "That's one, Bullstrode," he said to the portly girl. "Montague, Nott. I'm going to hex your girlfriend into goo. If you don't want it to happen, try and stop me."

A second flick of his wrist detonated a burst of force at her that burst through her hastily erected shield, and blasted her against the wall. The cracking of bones was clearly audible, followed by the scream of pain that tore from her throat. "Yes," he muttered. "One down." 

Before he could do something else, two spells came at his back. He grinned, made a single swipe, and erected a light-blue shield that flung the two spells awry. "Ah, Nott and Montague. How nice of you to join me," he said, levelly. 

"Screw you, Potter!" Nott screamed, flinging a multitude of dark hexes at Harry, who simply blocked them all with simple swipes of his wand. 

"No," Harry replied, coldly. "You never gave this chance to my family, yet I will provide it to you. _Defend yourselves!_" he demanded the latter with a voice laced with sheer power. It ran along the walls, making the furniture rattle, and caused everyone present to clench their hands over their ears. 

Nott and Montague, to their credit, composed shields.

Harry swiped at them. "Pathetic," he said, blasting both shields and blowing both boys back. They slipped along the floor, but raised new shields. Harry swiped again. "You call those _shields_?" he demanded, once again blowing both boys back, bursting two shields with one, completely silent, spell. 

Deep within his mind, Ancient Sumerian awoke. Again and again, he burst their shields, slamming them further and further back, until their backs were against the wall. Literally.

"You are pathetic," Harry declared. "You attack a girl in the back, and expect to be commanded for the cowardice. You use Dark Arts, and expect them to give you power." Again and again, he burst their shields, but now they were no longer being pushed. 

"True power does not come from curses or hexes. True Power does not come from cowardice or malevolence." Power rose around him, making his wand glow gold, and its tip a whitish blue. "True Power comes from purity of emotion!" he declared. "The Power of Magic is a force that can bend reality to your will! It's a force that can grant the most amazing gifts! But only to those who have the power and the conviction to do that which is necessary, without fear of themselves, without reservation or trepidation."

"_DEFEND YOURSELVES!"_ he ordered, and both boys put up the strongest protego-shields they could muster, pushing each and every bit of magic into it that they could squeeze out of their magical cores.

"Power..." Harry lectured, as if he had never interrupted for his order "... is given to those who can do what is necessary, not for themselves, but for another. It took Ancient Egyptians for me to realize it, and it took Ancient Sumerians for me to be able to use that power at will! That emotion, you pathetic pieces of human waste, is called _love_." He lifted his wand. "I invoke thee, _Gibil_, Sumerian God of Fire! Son of Anu and Shala! I summon thy power!" 

A trail of fire slipped from his wand as Harry spoke, and finally, a single jerk later, that single trail had become a massive fire storm. Thunder sounded across the room as the ground around Harry cracked under the heat.

Finally, a second jerk stopped the power from flowing, and there Harry stood, not even breathing heavily. Before him rested, on the cracked floor, two barely recognizable human shapes, burnt and blackened, but still very much alive. 

"You will not die," Harry declared. "Rather, you will live with the results of that which you have done." He swept around, and glanced at the broken body of the no-longer screaming Millicent Bullstrode. "You, too, will live with the consequences of today. Your bones have been broken in such a manner that you will never walk again. In fact, it would surprise me if you were ever able to cast again, with your arms the way they are. Of course, I am generous. You can still _hold_ a wand. So you _might_ be able to do a summoning charm." 

He walked away, through the hole he himself created, and swept his wand. The hole closed up.

00000

Returning to the Hospital Wing, he would have sat with Daphne the entire afternoon, had the girl not told him in such short terms that she expected him to go to class. Mumbling a 'yes, dear,' he left for class... where he, over the course of the afternoon, lost almost twenty points for daydreaming. It didn't help that his afternoon class was Double-Transfiguration either.

He never even noticed the look on Daphne's face when she heard him. 

By the time dinner came around, Ron and Hermione knew better than to push Harry, and he sat sullenly, poking at his food, thoughts elsewhere. It was only the arrival of Daphne at the table that brought some semblance of life back on his face.

"I'm glad to see Madam Pomfrey actually let you go," Harry said, a ghost of a smile on his lips. The girl shot him a full-fledged smile.

"It's good to be out of there," she admitted, and shoved a generous dinner onto her plate. After all, the attack had forced her to skip lunch. "And _you_ look like you haven't been doing what I asked you to do."

Harry shook his head, and poked his food. "I went to class like you asked me to."

"And lost twenty House Points over the course of the afternoon, and now you're sitting there, poking at your food," the Slytherin girl replied. Harry's head shot up.

"How did you...?"

"I'm a Slytherin, Harry," Daphne said, grinning. "I have my ways of knowing what goes on." She grumbled lightly then. "Of course, I will _also_ talk to my contacts on why I wasn't informed about an impending attack..." Her voice trailed off, and her smile returned to full force. "But that's not important."

"Not Important?" Harry asked, voice dropping in level at the same time it rose is intensity. "Not Important!?" he repeated a second later, this time his voice actually lifting. "In case you didn't notice, that is your _life_-"

Daphne cut him off before he could build up steam. She had seen him, observed him, over these last few days. She knew that, should she not cut him off, he would tear her to pieces verbally. She had seen it happen to her family, she had seen it happen to McGonagall, and she didn't _want_ to know what he said to Dumbledore to make the Headmaster cover for him unconditionally. "I very well _do_ know, Harry," Daphne replied, calmly. "In case _you_ didn't notice, it was _my_ back that got cursed!"

He swallowed, and seemed to shrink in on himself. 

"What's wrong, Harry?" Luna finally asked in the tense silence that hung over their group, and the entire surrounding area at the Gryffindor table. "This isn't just about Daphne being cursed."

He looked, slowly, at his First. She was way too perceptive for her own good. She merely smiled at the paint-peeling glare he shot her. "This _is_ about Daphne being cursed," he declared.

"No, it isn't. Or rather, yes it is, but it's not _only_ about that," the blond Ravenclaw said, ignoring the scathing glare and smiling in his direction. "Tell us, Harry. You'll feel better."

Harry dropped his glare and his head, and stared instead at the mess on his plate. It seemed he had mashed his potatoes, his carrots and his steak together into one ugly, unpalatable-looking horrid brown-red-yellow goo. "I can't lose you," he muttered. "Not again." He swallowed, feeling uncomfortable emotions prick at the back of his eyes. He blinked. "I've lost too many people. I can't lose anymore..." A shudder went through his body. "When Daphne... when Daphne was cursed... it reminded me... it reminded me that... everyone around me dies."

Suddenly, a warm pair of arms were around him. He jerked with surprise, and looked up at a sadly smiling Luna. The Ravenclaw had stood up, and was now holding him. "We're not going anywhere, Harry. Life and Death are intertwined, but as long as you want, you will always have us." She tapped his heart. "Here." She then tapped his head. "And there. Remember what I told you last year, Harry. We will see them again."

He swallowed deeply, shuddering in her embrace. "I... I..."

"We're fine, Harry," Daphne said, making him look over Luna's arm at her. She looked sad. "We're still here. All of us are still alive. I promise, we will all be careful in the future. All of us will do our best."

He glanced around the group of girls he had around him, and they were all nodding in their own way. Tracey and Pansy were nodding regally, eyes closed in absolute conviction, looking as if they were royalty. Ginny was nodding so fast that her hair was flying, her usual enthusiasm showing. Cho was smiling, and nodding with a casual composure one expected from a Head Girl. Susan was smiling as well, nodding just as he had expected from her... a loyalty and a friendship shining from her that could only be gotten from a Hufflepuff. Luna had merely tightened her hug. As usual, the odd little Ravenclaw had to do things her own way.

He suddenly chuckled. 

They all looked at him. "Thanks, girls... I really needed that," he said, smiling genuinely for the first time since lunch. "And I just realized... this is the first day since the poker game that I haven't had a new girl join us. It's rather refreshing."

The girls smiled wider, then started laughing as well, realizing that their group was complete. Luna sat down again, and resumed eating. Yes, life was good...

Of course, that was when fate intervened, and decided to shatter their illusions once and for all.

The doors to the Great Hall opened, and a young blond girl strode in, holding an obviously shrunk trunk in one hand, and a bag in her other. Harry blinked. He barely had time to recognize her before she was on him, pressing herself against his seated form with strength belying her lithe body.

An incredible feeling of well-being and sheer physical attraction slammed into his mind, and it made him gasp. 

But, for Harry James Potter, who was used to throwing off Imperius Curses cast by the Dark Lord himself, some Veela Charm was not something that could overcome him easily. Throwing off the compulsion of the charm, he looked into the brightest baby-blue eyes he had seen to date.

"Gabrielle!?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

Gabrielle Delacour smiled a little sadly as he threw off her Veela Charm, and skipped back. "I've come to serve you, My Lord," she said imperiously, handing him a scroll. "Of course, I would have been here sooner, but it took a couple of days to arrange for my transfer to Hogwarts, and a change of nationality, and other paperwork..."

Harry unrolled the scroll. He blinked. Then glanced at Ginny, then at Gabrielle. And then, he cursed, loudly, slammed his head against the table, then cursed again. 

"Harry?" Ginny asked, seeing him glance at her. The others were worried as well, and were looking expectantly at him.

"Ginny wasn't the only one whose life I saved," he muttered, glaring at the unfortunate scroll in his hands. Seeing how it started to smoke around the edges, Luna quickly took it from him. "Looks like the same plot that caught Ginny _also_ caught Gabrielle here."

The blond part-Veela nodded enthusiastically. "Harry saved my life during the Triwizard Tournament."

Looking around, silently asking for a spot for Gabrielle, he got his wish. Indicating the free spot, he invited, "Have a seat, Gabby. I'm sure you're hungry." He sighed, shook his head, and decided that Fate was going overboard, and trying to _kill_ him, using girls instead of Dark Lords. "Let me say that your English has improved a lot," he complimented her.

"I've gotten very good at Language Spells, Harry!" the girl declared. He smiled at her, a little sadly that he now had yet another girl to take care of. 

"So I see," he said, his smile growing wider. 

"Harry," Luna then said, looking at the scroll herself. "I didn't know you spoke French."

Harry glanced at her, then the scroll, and noticed that it was in French. Harry grinned slightly, then shrugged. It looked like it was going to be a long evening. "Let's eat first. Since it looks like I will have to take care of _yet another_ girl, I think it's best if I gave you your surprise a little early."

The various girls showed their interest at the mention of a surprise in their own fashions, and Harry merely smirked as they begged and wheedled, trying to figure out the surprise. He remained steadfast and silent during dinner, trying to keep his mood up against the fact that yet another unfortunate person had now been dragged into the craziness that was his life. 

He sighed, stuffing some of the mess he had made of his dinner into his mouth. He had to eat _something_... and he had the notion that he would need all the energy he could get if he were to keep a determined part-Veela from going after him. He glanced at the girl. She was way too young to be dragged into this... even if she was smiling, and being reasonably polite to the other girls. To his surprise, the others didn't seem to mind, care, or notice, her young age.

He sighed again, and shook his head. His life was most definitely taking weird turns lately, and he couldn't help but think that he was going to end up in hell over all this. 

But, then again... what had Nearly Headless Nick said at the end of last year? Being afraid of death means you get turned into a ghost. Perhaps he could chose _that_ path, and take Myrtle up on her offer. Haunting a bathroom with her sounded kinda like purgatory, truth be told, but it _had_ to be better than Hell, right?

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. This made eight. Eight girls. Luna, Tracey, Pansy, Susan, Ginny, Cho, Daphne, and now, Gabrielle. He _was_ well underway to getting himself a harem, and he thought Sirius would have loved it. Glancing at the enchanted ceiling, he directed a thought upward. _Sirius, wherever you are, I hope you're having a ball with this. If you're watching, I could have really used your help right about now._

"Harry?" Susan asked. "Are you alright?"

He looked down again, rather fast, embarrassed at being caught. "Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" he asked. "I mean, let's see... this morning, I had to fend off Daphne's family, or what's left of it, anyway. Over lunch, I found out Daphne had been hexed, so I had to go and open a can of whoopass on a trio of Slytherins. On their home turf, by the way. I then spent the entire afternoon agonizing over losing you girls, now that you've grown on me. And _now_ I find out that Ginny was not the only one who was caught in Malfoy's little scheme." He wanted to stand up and start pacing. "I'm doing great, thanks for asking."

The girls blinked, actually looking surprised at his reply. 

"No need to become sarcastic," Pansy admonished. "Susan was just asking."

Harry sighed. "I know. I know. I'm sorry, Susan. I guess it's all just catching up to me." He looked at the Huffepuff. "After lunch, you didn't deserve that. I'm sorry."

"That's alright, Harry. I guess you have been under a lot of stress today, so you're entitled to blowing off some steam," she answered with a smile on her face.

"Maybe you can tell us what you did to Nott, Montague, and Bullstrode?" Tracey asked. "Recounting how you did a good hexing _has_ to be relaxing."

Harry shrugged. "I simply explained a few things to them," he answered. 

"_Explained a few things_?" Pansy asked, one elegant eyebrow raised. "I heard Bullstrode will be lucky if she can ever wave her wand again, let alone cast spells. And Nott and Montague are said to be human piles of burnt flesh."

Harry shrugged. "I broke some bones and flung some magic," he evaded. He swallowed, and looked at his plate, where over three-quarters of the gooey mess had vanished. His eyes glazed over, and he wasn't seeing them, or even the Great Hall anymore. "You can't win a battle now," he said, softly. "You need to win a battle _for all times_. Make sure you leave no enemy in a capacity to come back and get revenge, defeat one enemy and make an example to all others. Fight once, win forever."

The Gryffindor table was quiet. The Hufflepuff table, right next to it, had quite a few students that had turned around and were staring at him as well. Even a couple of Ravenclaws, one table over, were looking at him. The Great Hall was strangely half-quiet, most students not having registered what had happened, but those that _did_ were quiet and staring at him.

"That's one serious attitude you've got there, Harry," Daphne said, smiling slightly. Gabrielle was staring at him with her mouth open, her expression a curious mix between awe and hero-worship. "But, I'm sure we're safe in Hogwarts now. I doubt anyone here has what it takes to come after us now."

Harry snorted dryly. "I hope so. The next one will not get off with some burns and a couple of broken bones." He shook his head. "It's strange that I can't bring myself to commit murder. Maybe it would be more humane... but dead people learn no lessons."

Some of the girls swallowed. Some of them were looking oddly introspective. And Luna was just nodding, and smiling. "Come on," she said. "Let's talk about more pleasant subjects!"

Harry smiled at the Ravenclaw's ability to change the flow of conversations at will.

00000

About half an hour later, they had gathered up the trunks, and had just finished removing the bed when Hermione and Ron strode over. 

"Harry, are we still friends?" Hermione asked, echoing Ron's question from days ago.

"We are, Hermione," Harry replied, honestly. 

"Then it's our place to tell you... _what the devil were you doing, sprouting that crap in the Great Hall?_" Ron demanded.

Harry shrugged. "It's the truth."

"You can't be serious, Harry," Hermione said. "It's not because the Headmaster said he would cover for you that you should go around permanently disfiguring people!"

"They chose their own fate," he replied, levelly. "They chose their fate when they chose to ignore my warning and lifted a wand against a member of my family. No longer, Hermione. I will show my enemies _why_ they should come after me, and not my family!"

"But-"

"No buts," Harry interrupted her. "There comes a time when a man must not do what is right, where he must not do what is easy, but where he must do whatever the hell he can to protect those he cares about. And if I have to chose between a hurting a Death Eater, a Death Eater Wannabe, the Dark Wanker himself, or seeing one I care about getting hurt, I know where I stand." He stepped closer to her. "Where do you stand, Hermione? Do you have the moral fortitude, the power deep within yourself, to stick it to the rules when it comes down to protecting those you love?"

The girls, standing behind him, looked at each other. "These girls, Hermione, are my family. Finally, I have a family. Not yet a place, but _someone_ to come home to at night, to take the edge off of life, to banish the loneliness. And I will do what is necessary to defend them." He glanced to the side, where Ron was gaping at him.

"How about you, Ron? Could you lift your wand, and hex a Death Eater into next year if he tried to hurt one of your family? Do you have the guts to stand up, take action, and not waver in the face of the consequences?"

"Blimey, Mate, what happened to you?"

"Family," Harry replied, levelly, stepped back from Hermione and turning to the girls. All eight of them. "I may end up in prison, and I may end up dead... but I will accept whatever fate awaits me, in the knowledge that my actions will protect those I love."

He didn't give them a chance to reply,and indicated the portrait hole. "Come on, girls. Let' me show you your surprise."

"And we have to take our trunks?" Tracey asked.

"Yep. I've arranged some new quarters. Of course, with the change of schedule, they're not quite finished yet, but the necessities are there... fireplace, couple of bedrooms, bathroom."

"We're _not_ having the same discussion, aren't we, Harry?" Luna asked as they filed out of the Common Room, leaving Ron and Hermione speechless. 

"No, but I guessed that it might be best to have some spare bedrooms... you never know if you have guests," Harry replied. 

To their surprise, he lead them to the bathroom on the second floor.

"Harry, you pervert," Pansy said as they saw him reach for the handle. 

Harry shrugged. "Nobody ever uses this bathroom," he replied, stepping in. "Hello Myrtle, I've brought guests!" 

Moaning Myrtle flashed from the stall she was using that evening. "Hello, Harry!" To the surprise of all the girls that knew Myrtle, the ghost actually had a trace of a smile on her lips. "I'm glad to see you decided to keep your promise."

"I'm sorry, Myrtle," Harry said, once more. "And I'm doing my best."

"Wait a minute," Pansy interrupted, "You know Moaning Myrtle?"

"I apologize Myrtle," he said to the ghost before turning to the Slytherin, "It is actually quite rude to talk about someone when that person is in the same room. And, yes Pansy, for your information, so you might all understand, I do know Myrtle. She has been of great help to me over my years here at Hogwarts, and during those instances of her aid, I have gotten to know her a bit. So you might say that I more than 'know' Myrtle, I consider her to be a friend, and I hope that she likewise feels the same."

Myrtle could only reply in her rather distinctive high-pitched squealing giggle.

"OK, looking past all the ways that this is just _so_ wrong, she's also a _ghost_!" exclaimed Pansy.

At that, Harry looked rather surprised, commenting, "What? None of you are on speaking or friendly terms with your House Ghost? Nick is also my friend, and it just so happens that it was during his Death-day Party that I first met Myrtle here. Seriously, aren't any of you familiar with any of the House Ghosts of Hogwarts?"

"No, not really," came the reply from four different sources. Daphne, Pansy, Tracey, and most surprising of all, _Luna_ all answered in the negative and shook their heads.

"Why not?" Harry was perplexed.

"Are you forgetting who the Slytherin House Ghost is?" Pansy asked, incredulous. "Nobody goes near him, or any of the other ghosts, if we can help it."

"For some reason, the Grey Lady does not enjoy my company," Luna airily answered the question. "She often finds that she has errands or other places to visit whenever I approach. It is a most unusual habit, as I still cannot fathom how many errands a ghost would have remaining as unfinished business."

"Luna scares a lot of the older spirits," Myrtle 'confided' to Harry, eliciting raised eyebrows from many of the occupants of her bathroom at the time.

"I'm not going _there_," hissed Harry under his breath. "Regardless, what you did was rather rude Pansy, and you owe Myrtle an apology."

Pansy Parkinson's eyes went wide in shock, her mouth opening as wide as possible and her face went starkly pale at that simple statement, leaving many of the girls, and Harry himself wishing they had brought Colin Creevy's camera with them to capture the image. "You cannot be serious," she finally managed to get out, sounding downright mutinous.

"Pansy," Harry's voice dropped an octave, "I consider you all family, and I do not believe I need to reiterate all that I am willing to do for those I call family. However much distinction is made, I am just as fiercely protective of those I call friend. Myrtle is my friend, and she deserves as much respect as any... as all of you do. Just because she was murdered by Voldemort when she was still in school and chose to remain behind rather than move on, is no reason to belittle her or treat her as anything less than a person. Believe me, I've gotten plenty of that kind of treatment from those that, unfortunately, share my blood. I will not permit anyone, friend, family, nor even stranger to be treated that way."

Pansy had never been in the presence of the Dark Lord, but she'd heard stories from those, of her blood family and also from Draco and other Slytherins that had said to be joining the Dark Lord's forces. How his mere presence was enough to tell of his power and that his side was the winning side. If anybody had ever met the man, they would never question his power, or require any sort of demonstration from him, as his intimidating sense of authority washed over all those before him, and if ever you were to anger him, you'd pray to be placed under the Cruciatus Curse, or to be slain by Avada Kerdavra, if only to end your suffering from his wrath.

Pansy felt a hundred times that just from Harry calmly berating her and staring her down like she was an unruly child that needed to be spanked. Unhesitatingly, she turned to Myrtle the moment Harry stopped speaking and broke his stare with her, and almost begged in a whimpering voice, "M-m-Myrtle, I-I'm sorry for speaking about you that way, a-and for ignoring you like that. It was very rude, and I apologize. Please forgive me?" she begged in a little-girls voice, somehow feeling that if the apparition did not forgive her, then Harry would still be angry with her.

Surprised at this sudden turn around, and by Harry's speech, the ghost of Moaning Myrtle blinked, then tentatively nodded her head, granting forgiveness. The relieved smile that Pansy then gave her almost pushed back the ever-present cold of death, almost but not quite. It also broke the tension that Harry's taking the girl to task had caused, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, Myrtle," Luna suddenly addressed the ghost directly, "what is it that you like to do?"

Nearly everyone cringed at the conversation that was started at that.

Finally, after almost ten minutes of smalltalk, Harry told Myrtle about wanting to show his secret project to the girls. The ghost actually smiled and nodded. 

"The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in Myrtle's bathroom," he said, in a ritualistic tone. To the girl's surprise, one of the sinks vanished, to be replaced by a weird-looking, glowing, metal door set in one of the walls.

Harry traded a glance with Ginny, who stared at him. He reached out, and squeezed her hand. "It'll be alright, Gin." The redhead nodded bravely, and Harry smiled at her before opening the door. 

"The door is protected by powerful magics, apart from the Fidelius Charm. I'm the Secret-Keeper, so only I can tell someone where the entrance is. The door itself is made from magicked-up bronze, which retains magical attributes the best, or so the Ancient Egyptians claim. I've added some Impervius Charms to it, as well as an auto-transfiguration... if you're trying to break in, it'll transfigure itself into a solid slab of metal, and fuse to the walls."

The girls stared at him in amazement, while he just shrugged, and stepped in. One by one, they filed in after him.

A staircase, made from marble and covered by a rug that seemed to be ankle-thick, allowed them to descend. "I've gotten very good at transfiguration," Harry said at their shocked looked as they descended the lush staircase. The hall leading down had its walls an ceiling made of smooth stone, colored a warm ocher-brown, while lighting was provided by flickering, never-ending candles set in bronze holsters at set intervals on both walls. 

"The chandeliers are also magical. If you're not allowed in here, then they auto-transfigure, and shoot fireballs," Harry explained. "Right now, I've locked all of you into the protections. Except for Gabrielle, of course, but since you're with me, you get automatic immunity anyway. As soon as we're down, I can add you to the wards as well, Gabby," he explained to the girls in general and Gabrielle in particular.

"Isn't that dangerous? Someone could force you to show them in," Tracey said, ever the pragmatist. 

Harry grinned. "The immunity only works if I open the door the correct way," he answered. "If I don't, then the defenses will attack anyone not keyed into the wards."

Finally, they reached ground level, emerging into an antechamber, a couple of golden coat hangers attached to the walls. Once again, the walls were solid stone, but these were colored a deep red, the floor still covered in ankle-thick red carpet. 

"It's a little... red, isn't it?" Pansy asked.

Harry shrugged. "Blame my Gryffindor side," he answered with a grin. "This is the coat room, obviously. You can hang overcoats here, there's also a shoe-rack over there. The room is rather large... I was thinking about adding a dresser or something as well, so we could store all kinds of handy clothes here, things you don't usually drag inside, like mittens, caps, that sort of thing."

The girls were nodding, some of them obviously already planning the redecoration of this room. Harry grinned, and reached for the golden door handle attached to a brown-color metal door.

"Are _all_ doors going to be bronze?" Cho asked.

Harry nodded. "Each and every door in this room will be bronze, and tied into the wards. Each chandelier will be bronze, as well. All lighting is provided by magical candles and chandeliers... I guess I turned paranoid, but I wanted this place to be _safe_."

Pansy looked up at the ceiling of the room, where a large and heavy chandelier hung, with two-dozen arms holding up two candles each, providing a lot of gentle light, ideal for last-minute checks of clothing and appearance. 

And also quite deadly, if each candle would shoot fireballs, this room alone could take down a medium-sized strike force in seconds. "It's beautiful," she finally said.

"Thank you," Harry said, hand still on the handle of the door. Finally, he pushed down, and opened the door, leading the girls into the main room.

Where every Common Room was rather cold, with its dark gray stones, and drafty walls in case of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, or moisture problem, like Hufflepuff and Slytherin, this living room was built out of solid stone, the walls redone in the same ocher-brown color as the entrance hall, with red accents here and there. The furniture was tastily done, with dark hardwood, and comfortable cushions on every chair and couch. Deep-red carpet still covered the floor.

"This is very nice, Harry," Cho breathed, unable to believe herself. "But this carpet..."

Harry grinned. "Is totally self-cleaning, stain-resistant, and treated with an Impervious Charm," he said, his smile growing when he saw the girls look around the large room, their eyes lingering on the large dining table, with enough room to seat two dozen, the large fireplace, currently complete with cozily crisping fire, the large couches close to it, arranged in such a way that they could talk, and look at the fire, at the same time, and a couple of desks as well.

"I know Cho is in her NEWT year, and Luna and Ginny are in their OWL years, " Harry said when he saw the girls look strangely at the desks. "I thought it would be nice to have a place to work, too." He motioned to one wall. "There is a bookcase over there as well, but I don't have books to fill it, yet."

The girls chuckled, and Harry laughed when Cho grabbed him in a hug. After the Asian girl let him go, it was Ginny's turn. After Ginny, Luna grabbed him, too. "Looks like I have to do nice things for you girls more often," Harry joked. 

"This way is the Master Bedroom," Harry said, indicating a door. "We'll keep that one for last." He stepped forward, ignoring the disappointed groans from the girls. "This is the bathroom." He opened a door, leading to a room built out of the same, smooth, ocher stone walls. The floor, however, was slightly rougher stone, to provide grip while wet. Four sinks lined one wall, where large mirrors were provided as well. 

Harry demonstrated how the mirrors swung forward to reveal large cabinets where the girls could store any and all make-up and hygiene products they so desired... with the notable exception of one shelf, where Harry would store his own. But the largest eye-catcher was the large tub, taking up half the room and built into the ground, complete with three steps to step down into it. In fact, it looked more like a pool than a bath.

A multitude of faucets came out of one wall. "I know from the prefects bathroom that people like to have bubbles and different kinds of smells and colors, so I decided to do a little... ehm... creative copying."

"You _stole_ the spells for the Prefect's bathroom," Daphne said.

"Copied, not stole," Harry said. "After all, nobody lost anything, right?"

The girls shrugged, then nodded. Harry grinned, wider. "You can get any temperature you want, any kind of bubbles and scents and colors you want, too. Plus, it's large enough to swim a couple of strokes, if you want."

"Maybe we should... christen... this beautiful bath tonight," Luna said, smiling at him. 

Harry looked at the blond strangely. "I hope you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting."

"In fact, I am sure I am suggesting what you hope I'm not suggesting."

Tracey grinned. "I'm game!"

"So am I!" Gabrielle shouted. 

Harry gave a scathing look at the young part-Veela, who looked back, entirely unrepentant. "I'm game, too!" Ginny said, grabbing Harry's attention away from Gabrielle. 

"You girls can christen this all you want," Harry said, grinning. "In fact, I think I'd like that... at least that way, I can get some peace and quiet and sit in front of the fire and read a good book..."

The girls in question screamed at him, while those who hadn't wanted to join in just grinned and shook their heads.

"I'm sure Harry would _love_ to read a good book with us," Pansy said, grabbing one of Harry's arms. Susan smirked, grabbed the other arm before someone else beat her to it, and said, "Harry, I know a book you just _have_ to read."

Harry laughed. "How about I show you the Master Bedroom now? Before this goes any further and I have a cat fight on my hands..."

"Did you put in a mud-pit?" Luna asked. "That _is_ the traditional arena for two women to fight in the muggle world, isn't it?"

Harry looked at the strange little Ravenclaw, shook his head, and left the room, Susan and Pansy holding his arms. The other girls were quiet, thinking odd thoughts at the odd reply from the blond Ravenclaw. Sometimes, Luna could be so very... _Luna_.

Harry threw open the door. "Girls, I give you... the bedroom."

As one, their jaws hit the ground. Susan and Pansy let got of his arms. Harry just stood there, grinning, enjoying the stunned expressions on the faces of the girls while they lasted.

The room they entered seemed to go on forever, the door emerging form between two columns of what appeared to be some kind of circular temple. A beautifully adorned bronze roof was held up by an even dozen strong stone columns, the space in between unimpeded by walls, giving an all-around circular view of the surrounding area.

And what an area it was – as if the temple itself had been built on top of a mountain, the view showing the surrounding mountain range. The girls filed in, all but ignoring the huge circular bed in the middle of the temple construct. 

As soon as they were all inside, and the door closed, it, and the wall it was in, vanished from view. Except for the dozen columns, nothing impeded the vision of the surrounding mountainside. The floor and columns were stark gray, and Harry apologized. "I'm sorry that it's not finished... the columns should have been ocher, to match the ceiling, and I haven't had time to transfigure the carpet yet, either. 

"This is... incredible," Ginny whispered, the first to find her voice. 

Harry smiled. "I'm glad you like it," he said. "It took me a while to get this done, let me tell you."

"I can imagine," Tracey replied. "This is a very powerful illusion."

Here Harry smirked, walked to one of the open side, and stepped out of the gray slab that made up the floor of the temple. The snow under his feet crunched. "What illusion?" he asked with a stupid grin. "In fact, I'm sure that, unless you'd walk a couple of hundred meters in either direction, you wouldn't find a single thing stopping you." he grinned wider. "In fact, each side has a sheer vertical cliff, one I wouldn't suggest trying to jump. It's a long way down."

"Incredible," Cho whispered, stunned.

"That's not all," Harry added, stepping back into the temple construction, and tapping the nearest column with his wand. "Meadow View."

The surrounding area blurred, fading out, a new vision fading in at the same time, never once revealing that true nature of what they were in. The mountains were replaced by a gentle glowing meadow, the greenest grass dotted with the most beautiful yellow, white, and red flowers the girls had ever seen. Much to their surprise, the crisp mountain air that had gone unnoticed up until now was replaced by the smells of the summer meadow, the various flowers willingly giving their most beautiful scents to the air for their enjoyment. 

"You not only... acquired... spells from the Prefect's Bathroom," Luna said, with a small smile. "You did the same thing to the Room of Requirement."

Harry shrugged, grinning. "I _did_ win the Headmaster's pass to every restricted area of the castle. That everyone assumed it was just about the Restricted Section and some dungeons was their mistake."

"We can even have picnics here," Pansy said from outside of the temple, standing about a dozen meters away, looking up at the clear, cloudless, blue skies and the perfect sun. 

"If you want," Harry said, smiling. "Why don't you come back in, and I'll show you the final setting."

Pansy looked like a petulant child. "Do I have to? It's so beautiful out here."

Harry shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said with a grin, and tapped the column. "Ocean View."

Pansy let out a screech as the floor dropped out from under her, to be replaced by gently lapping waves of clear-blue ocean water. Water that drenched her to the bone as her heavy robes pulled at her as she tried to keep her head above water.

Harry waved his wand, and floated a suddenly dry-again Pansy to the temple. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

She crossed her arms. "You're lucky you floated me in, and dried me."

Harry nodded. "Of course, dear."

She pouted. "And you're lucky you so lovable, too."

He grinned wider. "If you say so, dear."

"I _do_ say so," she declared.

He snickered. "Anyway, those are the only three views I've got right now... Mountains, a meadow, or an ocean. Oh, and this ocean _is_ flat, and you _will_ fall into the Abyss if you go too far out."

The girls chuckled at that, all of them remembering the silly superstitions from yesteryear. Turning, Harry sat down on the bed, which was large and circular, and had its surroundings made up out of sheer gold. As he sat, it waved gently, the white satin sheets pulling underneath him.

"Gold again?" Ginny asked with a grin.

"I haven't used an ounce of gold," Harry declared, waving to the bed. "This is bronze, my dear lady. Polished so hard it shines like gold. Not many people know that bronze can do that."

Tracey and Daphne blinked, the implications sinking home. "Then those gold coat hooks..."

"Are bronze, yes. And, as I said, all bronze in this construction is dangerous." He stood up. "That reminds me..." he waked to a column, and tapped it. "I am adding Gabrielle Delacour to the wards," he declared, the structure flashing gold. Five seconds later, it flashed again, and he nodded. "There, now you're all added," he told the girl before sitting down again. Once again, the bed waved. Now the girls noticed, and realized it wasn't some kind of optical trick.

"What's with the bed?" Tracey asked, falling down next to Harry and feeling the bed move in entirely inappropriate ways. It was fun, though, and she laughed.

"It's a muggle invention called a 'water bed', I thought you girls would get a kick out of it."

Ginny jumped, and squealed as the bed waved and dissipated the energy of her jump. The rest of the girls soon joined, most of them carefully sitting down, trying to figure out this strange thing called a water bed, while others were less hesitant and just fell down on it.

Harry just grinned as the girls enjoyed themselves. Finally, he sighed, and looked sadly at Gabrielle, the realization sinking home that he was wrecking yet another girl's life.

Luna sat down next to him. "You're thinking about Gabrielle, aren't you?" she asked.

He nodded. The girl in question beamed a smile at him. "You're going to make me a real woman?" she asked enthusiastically. 

Harry _almost_ shuddered. "You're just ten years old," he told the part-Veela. "Even if you _look_ older, it doesn't make it right." He stood up, started pacing. "It's not right," he said, more to himself then to the girls, and they all realized he was speaking about other things. "Hypothetically," he said, turning to the amassed group of girls, now lounging in various positions on the water bed. "What would happen if I were to refuse the contract?"

"As you haven't formally agreed to it yet," Daphne said, "even though you _implied_ you would, you haven't formally accepted it yet, you _can_ still refuse it. No immediate repercussions for you, no real repercussions for Gabrielle either," she said, shrugging apologetically at the little blond girl, who shot her a venomous glare. "Except for her own, personal problems, of course. You're basically denying saving her life, saying it was a mistake to save her life, saying it wasn't worth saving, and so on. Such a thing is harsh on someone."

Harry nodded. "I know." He swallowed, and looked at little Gabrielle, who was looking at him with those big, bright, blue, eyes of hers. Pleading. He screwed his eyes shut, refusing to let her pleading tug at his heart any longer. Screwing his eyes shut didn't help. Damn his soft heart. He turned around, and looked at the ocean. Endless it may appear, he knew it was finite. But it looked infinite enough for now. 

"So, I have to chose," he muttered, once again to himself. They all heard him, but kept quiet, knowing that Harry had to work things like this out for himself. "Either break her heart now, which she'll recover from, or bind her to me for eternity. Like Ginny. A _slave_." He shook his head, turned around, and looked at Ginny. "If I had known then what I know now, I would have refused your contract, too," he told her. 

"But-" Ginny said, her face stricken.

"_It's not right,_" he declared. "I had to take Daphne, to save her life, even if she did endanger it herself. But basically, you and Gabrielle... I already _saved_ your lives. By refusing the contract, I save your freedom."

Gabrielle looked stricken, her eyes shining with tears. "It's not safe. It's not proper. It's not right," he muttered, once again to himself, as if he were desperately trying to convince himself. 

"She'll be an outcast," Tracey said.

"But she'll be free," Harry countered.

"Devastated," Daphne added in. "Her hero denied her, declaring her life either not worth saving, or regretting having saved her."

"Gabrielle knows that's not true," Harry countered, looking right at the girl in question. "And pains heal," he added. "I know so myself."

"That's why you have nightmares if you sleep alone," Luna said, her voice level. Harry stared at her. That level tone was the angriest tone he had ever heard from Luna. It startled him. She looked coolly back at him.

"Luna?" he asked, unsure.

"I remember when we came to you at first, Tracey, Pansy, Susan, and I," his First went on. "You were wrecked, emotionally, to the point where you were afraid to touch us, and we almost had to restrain you before you'd accept our help. Can you inflict that same pain upon another?"

Harry swallowed. He glanced at Gabrielle, who was looking hopefully at him, tears clinging to her cheeks. "I..."

"I know you want to protect her, Harry," Susan said. "But you're protecting her physically while destroying her emotionally. This is so much more than a contract. It's a sign, an emotional connection."

Harry sat down, leaning against one of the pillars, and staring at the roof of the temple construction. _If I do this... if I push her away... would it be like Dumbledore? Saving her physically, but wrecking her in everything that matters? _He sighed, then shuddered. He rubbed his eyes. They were wet. He didn't know what to do.

Someone sat down next to him. For just a moment, he caught a flash of blond hair and thought it was Luna. A moment later, he noticed it was Gabrielle. The young part-Veela looked at him. "Do you want me to go, Harry?" she asked, timidly, afraid of the answer.

"Sometimes..." he whispered, then stopped. "Sometimes," he repeated, "it isn't about what I want... it's about what's best for you." He swallowed. "And I don't know what that is." He looked down, staring at the ground instead of the ceiling this time. "Why, Gabrielle? Why would you want to do this? Why destroy your life? Give yourself away into slavery? I can put most of the others free, if only they would accept it. I can't free Ginny, nor Daphne, and I won't be able to free you, either."

"I was scared, Harry," she replied, making him look at her. "When I came here. I respected you. I worshiped you a little, too. I've had a silly crush on you ever since you pulled me from that water. But I was still afraid. I called you 'My Lord', and handed you my contract. I expected that first blast of Veela charm to overwhelm you, accept the contract, and make use of it."

She swallowed. "And then you threw off the Charm, and slammed your head against the table. You treated me nice. You treat the others nice. You _love_ them. I can see it. And they love you, too." She swallowed. "I want the same thing. I want you to love me, like you love them. I want you to treat me with respect, like you respect them. I didn't want to be treated like the _Veela_ the rest of the world treats me as. I want to be respected..." she choked, and started crying. "For... for once... to be treated nicely, as a real girl... not a Veela... like you treat your _amie phantôme_, your ghost friend..."

"I would still treat you like that," Harry muttered, hugging her tightly. He hated seeing a girl cry. "Even if I didn't accept the contract."

"But then... then I wouldn't be here," she muttered. "I'd have to go back to France. And I'd still be the _Veela_. Like my sister."

He was silent, tightened his hug, letting the girl cry. Silently, he pleaded with the rest of the girls for advice. They were, as one woman, looking sadly at him.

Finally, he closed his eyes, and kissed the top of her head. "I, Harry James Potter, Lord of the Potters, the Blacks, and the Bones', the Baron of Greengrass, accept you, Gabrielle Delacour, and the contract which you carry," he muttered. 

The contract hiding in Luna's robes glowed gold. Gabrielle looked up with tear-filled eyes.

"I hate it when girls cry and wrap me around their fingers," Harry declared softly as he picked her up, and carried her to the bed. Sitting down, he put the girl next to him. "More comfortable then that hard floor," he declared. 

The other girls broke out cheering, and Harry sat there and smiled as they welcomed their newest member. Within seconds, Gabrielle was smiling again. Wider and happier than he had ever seen her smile, and once again, he was glad to have made the right choice. 

"So, Harry," Pansy finally said after the ruckus started to die down. "How come you speak French?"

"I've always spoken French," Harry said, shrugging. "I just pretended I didn't."

The girl stared at him with shock. Except for Luna, who smiled serenely. "What?" Ginny finally asked.

"I slipped up. Once. During my second year," he said. "I spoke to that snake. My real ability isn't _Parseltongue_. It's called _Polyglot_. I can speak and understand any language. It just took me a while before I figured out that worked for reading, too."

"So that stuff with the hieroglyphs..." Tracey said.

"I was just making up stories," Harry said. "But when Pansy was attacked, they started to make sense. It took me a while longer before I could read them fluently. After that, cuneiform happened quicker. I think, the more I do it, the easier it'll get." He shrugged. "I just hid it, like my magical reserves. I didn't want people to know, unless it was necessary. When you girls entered my life, I had to protect you, at all cost."

"You... you've been hiding these abilities, and that power, for _six_ years?" Tracey asked, incredulously. 

"For longer," he replied. "My home life wasn't what I'd called pleasant. The better I did, the more I got punished. So I got by, didn't get punished, and hid my power and strength."

"You should have been in Slytherin," Pansy said, awe in her voice.

"Stupid hat wanted to place me there, too. I convinced it not to... handed it a bolloksed-up reason about Dark Wizards, and it put me in Gryffindor," Harry answered with a shrug. "Plus, after what everyone told me about Slytherin, I just asked it for anything but."

"But... _why_?" Daphne asked.

Harry grinned with mirth. "Why, Daphne... if you're in Slytherin, you're announcing yourself as cunning and sly. It's better to be in Gryffindor, thought a mindless brute, and be cunning and sly behind the scenes. Nobody expects the Gryffindor to be cunning."

The trio of Slytherins stared at him with open mouths. Harry grinned at their expressions, and soon, the others girls were laughing. The three Slytherins finally closed their mouths, shook their heads, and laughed as well.

Yawning suddenly, he felt the events of the day catch up to him. Waving his wand, once, he transfigured his clothes into a pair of pajamas. "I'm going to turn in," he announced, slipping to the center of the bed, and grabbing himself a goose down filled pillow, and slipped underneath the white satin sheets. 

When he saw the girls get ready, he sighed. "Girls?"

They all stopped, and looked at him. He looked at Gabrielle. "First off, Gabrielle... the girls all sleep in the same bed as me. If you want, I can show you one of the guest bedrooms..."

"Absolutely not," the part-Veela declared. "It's not because I'm chronologically only ten that you can throw me out."

"Chronologically?" Harry asked.

"Emotionally, I'm about fourteen, fifteen. Thank the _Veela_ part," the girl declared, rather angrily.

"So you're about the same age as Luna and Ginny, emotionally?" Harry asked.

The girl nodded. "Good, that makes it easier on my conscience," he muttered. "Anyway, that wasn't what I wanted to ask." He gulped. He had something to ask, but didn't know how. He didn't want to anger them... deciding on playing it carefully, he started, "Girls... I know you established this schedule... and... I... I don't want to... upset that and all... or give the impression that I'm playing favorites, because I'm not!"

"Harry, out with it," Ginny declared, folding her arms.

"Just this once, after everything that happened today," Harry went on, as if Ginny hadn't interrupted him. "I'd like to have Daphne and Susan with me," he whispered. 

"Harry," Luna said, making him look up. "You _are_ still our master. If you wanted the same two girls every night, we wouldn't be angry."

"Just a little disappointed," Ginny added, smiling slightly.

Harry smiled, relieved. He looked at Daphne and Susan in turn. "But, once again, not an order-" he didn't get a chance to finish as a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin were suddenly in his arms. 

Barely ten minutes later, after everyone settled down, and the girls extracted a good night kiss from him, he fell asleep with a gentle smile on his face, one arm around a brave Hufflepuff, the other around a rescued Slytherin.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Poker Game**

Harry Potter and the others do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this, and I wouldn't be short on cash.

In this story, I'm making some assumptions on the value of the Galleon. Seeing as we are generally rather uninformed about prices in the wizarding world, I'm basing my assumptions on the end of book four. Harry gave Fred and George 1000 Galleons to open the joke shop. Assuming that the twins had some money of they own, and the money was enough to cover rent for at least a few months, as well as getting stock, inventory, and doing testing of various items, I'm assuming that 5000 Galleons is enough to buy a small house in the country, and 10,000 would get you a reasonably sized house.

_The Poker Game – an HP shortfic by Enterprise1701d and Joshua The Evil Guy_

**Chapter Six**

Harry slowly opened his eyes, at first not realizing what was wrong. Slowly blinking to adjust his eyes to the light, he thought about what could be wrong. Then, slowly, a smile appeared on his face. Nobody was yelling his name in order to wake him up. He glanced to his right, and smiled at a peacefully sleeping Susan Bones. To his left was an equally peacefully sleeping Daphne Greengrass, who made slight gurgling noises in her slumber.

It was warm in the water bed, and it was warm with the two witches pressed to his sides, nestled protectively in the crooks of his arms. Harry sighed. He felt so good... doubly so, as nobody was yelling at him to get up. And, he realized, it was Saturday, so there was no reason _to_ get up. At all.

00000

Hermione Granger woke up, as she did almost every morning at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, at 6 A.M. sharp and had gone through all of her morning rituals within three-quarters of an hour and still had enough time to sort through, double-check, and overview all of her homework, reading assignments, and essays for the past week and in preparation for the next week. Considering this was normally stacks of parchments and thick, heavy books that could rival anything you could find in the Library, it was a mind-boggling achievement that she actually finished it within the fifteen minutes she allotted herself, before heading downstairs to the Common Room to wake up Harry and... his _Girls_.

She honestly wasn't sure why it bothered her so much. The logical deduction that it was opposing to her sensibilities and moral ethics, unfortunately, did not hold up upon closer scrutiny. _Especially_ after Luna's rather rude... observation the other day. She did not want... Well, regardless, she did not want... _that_, and most certainly not in circumstances such as these!

It wasn't until she was already downstairs and in the Common Room that she remembered it was Saturday and she was the only one up this early. Furthermore, it wasn't until she saw the large bed in the corner missing that she really remembered what had happened last night. Frowning at the reminder, she turned to go back up the stairs, this time up the Boys side and rounded the stairs until she came to the 6th Year's Dorm, knocked once and then stormed inside. She counted heads, and then froze upon seeing an almost pristine four-poster bed that had quite obviously not been touched, let alone slept in, for days. The rest of the boys were still asleep, although her noisy entrance was soon to cure that.

Still frowning, Hermione quickly made her way over to Ron's bed and shook him awake. Thankfully he woke much easier than Harry ever did, and almost cried out at her seeing him in his bed clothes while still in bed. She ignored that for the moment.

"Did Harry come back here last night? After he walked out with... the others?" she demanded.

"Whu...?" Ron mumbled, still waking up. "Huh? Harry? No, no, Harry hasn't slept here in days Hermione, you know that. Isn't he down there on that invisible bed with everybody else?"

"No!" she screamed. "They all walked out with their trunks and everything last night, remember? Did he say exactly where he was taking them?"

"You're asking me that? Now? Before Breakfast?" Ron questioned his friend.

"Something about... a new place to live? But that can't be right, they aren't allowed to leave the grounds!" She stormed back out, leaving the boys all staring after her, then at each other, and one by one they all just shrugged and turned over to go back to sleep. It was too gosh darn early for a Saturday, dammit!

00000

He wished he had his glasses, so details would be less blurry and more focused, but he put that basic wish aside for now. Everything he needed to see, he could see, more or less, anyway. Gabrielle had slept together with Luna, it seemed, both blonds heavily entwined. Cho, as usual, seemed to prefer to be off by herself, as she was curled on her side. Tracey and Pansy preferred their own company, and were sleeping, spooned together, on the other side of Daphne. And Ginny, as had become her habit, was sleeping on top of most of them.

Harry smiled slightly at the thought. _That girl sure likes her human mattress... even if I give her a water bed, she still ends up on top of us._

He closed his eyes, and wished to go back to sleep, wishing for the feeling of loving protection to never go away.

00000

Hermione waited impatiently down in the Great Hall for Harry and the rest of his "Family" to come down for breakfast. Breakfast was almost over now. Not a single one of them, not even Gabrielle, hell, not even _Cho_, the _Head Girl_ had shown up yet!

Getting frustrated, Hermione attempted to track down anyone that might have some clue about where any one of Harry's Family, or even where Harry himself might be. She spoke briefly with Marietta Edgecomb, (Lying, traitorous, sneaking _witch_!), who was supposed to be Cho's best friend, but she hadn't seen her for a while and did not know where she was. Thankfully their words were brief as they kept glaring at one another, and if looks could kill, it would be enough to hex each other out of existence. After all, Marietta _had_ betrayed them to Umbridge last year and Hermione _had_ been the one to hex the parchment that put the word SNEAK in purple pustules across her forehead.

Hermione continued to ask around for the rest of the breakfast period.

00000

It was halfway between morning and noon when Harry opened his eyes for a second time. Seeing that the girls were still sound asleep, he wandlessly, and wordlessly, summoned his glasses to him, and snuck out of bed without waking anybody. An impressive feat, even those that have experience with a water bed have difficulty with.

Entering the area he had designated as the 'living room', he stared at one wall, knowing very well that the Chamber of Secrets proper was lying just behind it. In another time and place, Harry would have drawn his wand, opened the wall, and entered said Chamber in an effort to enlarge his living space.

However, he left his wand where it was, and walked to where he had stored his trunk yesterday... which happened to be in the coat room. First, he had been too excited to take it in further, later on, he had been too tired to come back and retrieve it. Noticing that the girls hadn't retrieved theirs either made him feel better. He retrieved a book from the Restricted Section from his trunk, returned to the living room, and sat down in front of the fireplace.

A single flick of his wand had the fire blazing, and Harry curled in on himself, trying to recapture some of the warmth he felt when there was someone curled up against him. He sighed, not finding what he was looking for, and opened his book to read.

00000

Hermione was getting desperate. She wasn't about to talk to anyone in Slytherin, and if any of them _did_ know where Harry and the rest of them were that would just make her worry more, and she was plenty worried enough right now, thank you very much!

Finally, she tracked down Hannah Abbott in Hufflepuff and asked her, "Have you seen Harry, Susan, or _any_ of the others?"

"No, I just thought they were being lazy," Hannah answered, growing concerned. "Besides, don't they all sleep up in Gryffindor tower with Harry? Susan told me about it a few days ago."

"Harry moved them all out last night!" she exclaimed. "He said that he was showing them some surprise, and they all took their trunks with them and even took down the bed before they left! And I haven't been able to find them all morning!"

"Oh no," Hannah paled, her mind racing over possibilities, most of which included the fight against three Slytherins the other day and having to defend a girl that had been attacked in the back. She had been in the group that had rushed to Susan, and thus Daphne's aid when that happened, and given how Harry reacted, in a far less than subtle manner, anything could have happened to them. "I'll help you look," she told Hermione, and they rushed off together.

00000

The first one up was Luna, and Harry smiled a greeting at her, one she returned wholeheartedly. Ever-perceptive, Luna soon returned with her own trunk, as well as Harry's, and deposited both of them near the door to the bedroom. From her own trunk, she retrieved a fifth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, and crawled against him in the large sofa.

Harry smiled, lifted one arm to allow her entry, and suddenly found the warmth again. Softness and warmth, he liked them so much. Sighing happily, he continued to read. Settling, Luna did the same.

Five minutes later, the Ravenclaw looked up at him, where he was intently focused on his book. "Harry?"

"Hm?" he asked, distractedly.

"Could you help me with this? I'm not sure I understand it completely, " she asked, motioned for a passage in the text.

Silently, he marked his position with a small bookmark, and looked at her. "Of course, Luna," he finally said, smiling, and looking at the passage she was indicating. Soon, he was enthralled in explaining the passage, finding he enjoyed the conversation just as much as he liked the physical closeness.

00000

Hours of searching all over, even going to the Room of Requirement on a hunch, had gotten them nowhere. After having come back from Hagrid's, to see if he had somehow built them a cabin somewhere on the Grounds, the pair of girls, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, sat down to catch their breath in the Main Hall.

Noticing the time, Hannah proposed to Hermione, "Look, Mione, it's almost Lunch time. Nobody has seen them since yesterday, and the Professors all agree that they did not and could not have left the Grounds at any point last night or this morning, seeing how it's not a Hogsmeade weekend. Plus, it's Saturday, and everybody likes to sleep in on Saturday. They might have just missed Breakfast and when they woke up they decided not to waste the trip. When they get hungry, they'll come to Lunch, I guarantee it. So, let's just wait for them in the Great Hall, and if there is still no sign of them after Lunch, we'll go straight to the Headmaster. Sound good?"

With a heavy sigh, of mostly frustration, Hermione nodded her head and lead the way. "All right. But we'll wait no more than a single hour after Lunch. Then it's straight to Professor Dumbledore. I am so going to kill that boy when I see him again," she muttered under her breath.

00000

Susan and Daphne entered together, and smiled at the picture. Harry, leaning against one armrest, Luna close against him, discussing the Defense textbook. Sharing a glance, the Hufflepuff and the Slytherin retrieved their own trunks, and joined Harry and Luna.

It was half past eleven in the morning before all the girls were up, and soon they were trodding off to lunch, all of them together. Since it was Saturday, they forewent their School Uniforms, most going for jeans and a sweatshirt. It wasn't yet winter, but Hogwarts was _still_ a drafty old castle in Northern Scotland. Harry smiled slightly, years of hiding himself and his thoughts affecting him still... but for the girls, who had started to get to know him quite well, especially the ones that had been with him since the beginning, Harry had never looked more relaxed... or happier.

00000

When they entered the Great Hall, all conversation came to a stop, and the group looked at each other, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!" Hermione's voice screamed from the Gryffindor table.

Harry shook his head, and motioned for the table, as if asking his ladies if they would care to join him for lunch. The Hall remained quiet, waiting for his answer. When the ladies in question started walking to the table, Harry followed as last.

"Home, Hermione," he finally replied as they started to sit down. He looked at each of the young women, and reiterated. "I've been home."

"You didn't come back to the Tower!" Hermione screeched.

"Of course not," he answered. "I finally finished building us a home. Granted, it's not completely done yet... but it's home."

"You can't just run off..." she pressed on.

"Sure I can. The Headmaster himself signed that all-inclusive permission slip, allowing me access to every restricted part of the castle, any time I wish. So, I took it upon myself to build a nice home for myself and my extended family. That reminds me..." he glanced around furtively. "Nobody has been required to join yet?"

Fuming, Hermione reluctantly shook her head and answered. "No..."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Let's hope that, whatever it is that's been supplying me with an ever-increasing family, has finally stopped working."

"But, Harry..."

"I'm safe, Hermione, and so are the Girls..." he stopped suddenly, "Actually, now that I think about it... No, they're not." He stood up. "Excuse me for a moment, ladies," he said, walking resolutely to the High Table. They all shared a look with each other for a moment before surging from the table to follow their young master. Hermione and Ron followed shortly afterwards.

"Headmaster?"

"Good day, Harry," Dumbledore said, smiling in a grandfatherly fashion, his blue eyes twinkling. "It appears you didn't sleep in Gryffindor Tower last night."

"Two words, Headmaster... Second Year."

Dumbledore's smile froze. "My dear boy, I hope you're not implying what I think you are implying."

"The Egyptians were masters of Transfiguration, Headmaster. As I am sure Professor McGonagall can attest to. I am still not seeing Malfoy and his two bodyguards at the Slytherin table."

"Nor are you seeing three Slytherins who were present yesterday," Dumbledore said, sadly.

"I reminded you yesterday morning that I would honor my promise in regards to my family," Harry answered, coolly. "Therefore. Thank you very much for bringing it up, Sir. And I am here on a subject directly related to that."

Dumbledore remained silent, waiting for Harry to continue. "I would like for you to transfer the members of my family who are in Slytherin over to Gryffindor."

"Harry..." Pansy grunted from behind him.

"You're not safe in Slytherin, not even if it's just to sit in class. Yesterday proved that," Harry replied, calmly, over his shoulder.

"Did you stop to think we may not _want_ to go to Gryffindor?" Tracey asked with a musical note in her voice.

Harry looked at her, and lifted an eyebrow. "I wish to amend my request, Headmaster. I wish for _any_ member of my family to be able to transfer to a house of their choosing, if for no other reason but to get them out of Slytherin."

"You incompetent brat..." Snape snarled.

Harry's wand was up in a moment. "Please, _Professor_, continue to berate me," Harry said, coolly. Snape shut up, remembering yesterday.

"We can not have students switching Houses in the middle of their education, Harry," Dumbledore said, ignoring the by-play with his Potions master.

"Then we can ruin their health instead?" Harry asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Sounds to me like you're still making the same mistakes." He swallowed, then drew a breath. "I am sorry I have to say this, Sir, but sometimes, one has to bend, if not outright break, rules that impede upon happiness and safety. Remaining in Slytherin will get certain members of my family hurt or killed. I am willing to swear, right here and now, upon the blood in my veins and the magic in my core, that I will _annihilate_ anyone who commits the next act of violence against a member of my family. For their safety, as well as the safety of my family, I am asking you to grant me this request. If they do not want to go to Gryffindor, certainly Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw will welcome them."

"I will see what I can do," Dumbledore said.

"Mister Potter!" McGonagall shouted, finally snapping. "What are you thinking!? You can't speak to the Headmaster like that! And hexing students... really, if the Headmaster wasn't covering for you, I would be forced to take so many House Points that _next decade_ we'd still be in the negative!"

Harry nodded. "And I would not care," he replied. "My family comes first, and I will hex whomever hurts them." McGonagall started to splutter, but Harry ignored her, and looked back at the Headmaster. "Headmaster," he resumed. "I will expect your answer by tomorrow evening, at the latest. Monday morning, classes resume, and I need to know if I am to arrange schooling elsewhere by then." Before the Headmaster could recover, he looked at Gabrielle. "Would Madame Maxime be able to take us all in if I Floo-ed her tomorrow evening?"

"I'm sure she would, Harry," the blond former-Beauxbatons student replied, covering her shock quite well.

"I'm... not sure... that I like this new you, Harry," the Headmaster said, then sighed. "But I will arrange it."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Harry answered with a small smile. "And this new me, Headmaster, is what _you_ made of me. Is it so strange to think that, once I _finally_ found someone to _really_ love, I would not do whatever it took to keep them safe?"

The Headmaster shook his head. "I suppose not, Harry."

"You guess not, but I know, Headmaster," the Gryffindor replied with a small nod of his head, and turned to walk back to the Gryffindor table.

"You do know I was kidding with that remark, right?" Tracey asked. "You didn't need to change your request..."

Harry smirked viciously. "No, but this way, I have arranged for a switch for _all_ of you." He glanced at his group of girls."If any of you feel like switching Houses, here's your chance. Ever felt like being a Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor, here's your chance."

"I think I would like to join Slytherin," Luna stated, dreamily.

Everyone stared at her. The dreamy blond didn't seem to notice, but finally blinked her larger-than-normal silver eyes. "I was joking."

Relieved sighs spread across the table.

"I _should_ have been sorted into Slytherin, but I decided that I did not want everyone to know how cunning and wicked I really am, so I asked to be put into a different House instead," she finished so matter-of-factly that nobody could tell if she was still joking again or not. Thankfully they all forgot about it as Hermione's patience finally wore out.

Rather than shouting so everyone could hear her, she stalked over and sat directly across from Harry, rudely shoving Cho and Luna to the sides, but after glimpsing the storm brewing on the bushy-haired Gryffindor's face, they decided not to call her on it. "Harry!" she hissed, making Harry wonder if his Parseltongue was working overtime all of a sudden.

"Yes, Hermione?" he answered in a casual tone, grabbing a biscuit for himself and started to butter it, only to have Susan grab it out of his hands and finishing it for him. He smirked, but also sent a subtle glare that they would not be repeating the conversation of two days ago about meal-time habits.

The Smart One of the Gryffindor Trio took a few moments to compose herself, making sure that her next words would not be shouted out in anger, but simple, logical, and quiet inquiries. "Harry, ignoring the fact that you just told off the Headmaster and two Professors, threatened an untold number of students, demanded that over a thousand years of tradition be changed on your whim alone, and _ignored me_ earlier, I would appreciate it if you would tell me where, _exactly_, you have been since Ron and I saw you walk out of Gryffindor Tower last night?"

"And I told you—" he started to say, but she interrupted him.

"That's not good enough!" she hissed loud enough to be heard several seats away. Quickly lowering her voice and shrinking in on herself, she apologized, "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. It's just... Ron and I were worried sick about how you've been acting lately, and then what you were saying last night... we were worried about you, that's all... and when you didn't come back to the dorms..."

Harry nodded, feeling a bit guilty all of a sudden. "Sorry about that, I should've sent word that I wouldn't be coming back, or at least told you so face-to-face. I'll take you and Ron to where we'll all be staying later on today, all right?"

Hermione visibly hesitated, but nodded her head in agreement.

"There's something else," she began.

Harry just looked at her over his food. While he was allowed to eat with his own two hands still, it seemed the girls came to that concession only after they had _prepared_ it for him first. Meaning buttering his biscuits, cutting his meat, slicing and/or peeling his fruit, those sorts of things. He did also note, however, that Ron had scooted as close as he could without shoving one of the girls out of the way, but he was now within listening and speaking distance.

"About how you've been acting..." she took a deep breath and continued, "We still don't understand exactly why it is you're acting the way you are. I mean, yes, I... _we_ do understand about willing to do anything to protect your family. To be willing to die for them, live for them, lie, steal, cheat, and even... kill. We understand why you feel the way you do, because almost all of us would do the same things for our families. But... we don't go around threatening everyone that looks cross-eyed at them either!"

At his annoyed and starting-to-get-angry look that she recognized from him, she hurried her words. "Again, that doesn't say we wouldn't, and not that you don't have the right and privilege to do so! Especially after what happened... Still, even when Malfoy and the other... _worse_ Slytherins were directly harassing you, and even the few times they outright attacked you, Harry; you, Ron, and even I never _openly_ threatened them before! There were threats, there were innuendos, there were foul looks and everything of the sort. So... why... ?"

"Why did I practically declare war on half the school just because one or two members of my family were given the same treatment?" he finished her question in a dull tone. "For the same reason that I stood up to Riddle when he was killing Ginny. For the same reason I hid the stone from Voldemort my First Year. For the same reason I went back in time to free an innocent man and drove off a hundred Dementors. For the same reason I participated in the Triwizard Tournament, even though all I wanted to do was quit and join the rest in the stands watching on. For the same reason that I hung around at the _bottom of the lake_ a lot longer than I should've just to make sure that all of the so-called 'hostages' were rescued and were safe before doing something incredibly stupid. For the same reason I stood face to face and dueled Voldemort in a cemetery in front of a dozen Death Eaters. For the same reason I never complained about Umbridge, or told anyone about _this_," he held up his scarred hand with the scar-white _'I will not tell lies'_ standing clear against his clenched and flushed fist. "For the same reason I lead the charge down into the Ministry and to the Department of Mysteries. For the same reason I protected Pansy from Malfoy and his goons. For the exact same reason that I kept my word about what I would do if anyone that I cared about was hurt."

They were all listening, every single one of them. Thankfully, Harry's voice didn't carry much further than the table they were at, or he would once again find himself the center of attention for the entire school. They all felt like holding their breaths, waiting for him to finish his litany and tell them why his behavior had changed so radically in just one week. Hermione was wide-eyed and had not blinked once in almost a full minute. She couldn't help it, she was right in front of him and he was speaking right to her, it was like she was mesmerized, only a hundred times greater and more powerful.

"I'm a Gryffindor," said Harry.

Hermione finally blinked. Then she started to smile. She grinned wide. Giggling softly, she nodded as it all finally made sense to her. Laughing out loud suddenly, she began to draw some attention, especially when she fell to the floor and continued laughing while rolling around on the floor until somebody finally helped her up. From where he sat, Ron was chuckling a bit himself, and he decided to give his friend a break for a few more days.

Harry shrugged. "Besides, if I really hexed everyone who looks cross-eyed at my family, I would hex that obnoxious third-year Hufflepuff who's been glaring at Susan for the last couple of days. But, as long as they keep their wands to themselves, I'm not going to bother."

Most of the girls were very confused by this behavior. Except for two, Ginny, who was smiling and laughing alongside her brother, and Luna, who nobody could tell what she was thinking. Until she suddenly broke the mood by saying, "I think we should start the DA back up again. At least among those of us that have become Harry's Family."

Hermione stopped laughing like somebody had thrown a switch. "Why would you say that Luna?" she asked, genuinely curious, but still concerned.

"Because Harry, being a Gryffindor, did not realize that by 'declaring war on half the school'," Luna answered Hermione's question, "he was making it not just rumor, but well-known fact that we all mean a great deal to him, any one of which is just as important as all the rest. Harry is a powerful wizard, and he has a good reputation, and his attack on Slytherin has increased that a great deal, judging by the rumors that are now going around. Unfortunately, Harry's enemies don't often care about how he'll react, only about hurting him. Especially if they see it as he cannot reach them to hurt them back. Some enemies that will now be wanting revenge for actions that Harry has already taken."

"My family," Daphne groaned pitifully.

"The Malfoys," Pansy gasped.

"The rest of Slytherin House," Ginny added with a sigh.

"And You-Know-Who," Cho put in her two-cents.

"No," Luna frowned at the Head Girl, "I'm afraid I don't know. Who?"

"She meant..." even Hermione hesitated at saying the name, but she finally did in a hushed whisper, "Voldemort. As one of Harry's enemies."

"Ah, yes. That You-Know-Who," Luna finally understood. "Well, that's why I want us to start up the DA, at least amongst us. If we're all as powerful, or as skilled, or even more so than Harry is, either separately or collectively, then there will be little to no chance of anything happening to us and Harry going insane with grief and killing hundreds of Dark Wizards."

Harry, while not enjoying the conversation topic, couldn't help but to stare at Luna's matter-of-fact, yet still light and airy way of speaking about it. Finally, he had to admit, she did have a point. "OK, fair enough. I'll teach you girls all I know and more. It's just going to take me another day or so to add in a training area to... our residence."

"Speaking of which," Hermione reminded him with her patented glare.

"After lunch, all right?" he raised his hands in surrender. She added a few more seconds of the glare, but finally nodded and smiled back at him.

00000

"And where have you been?" came a whisper behind Susan's ear.

Jumping, the Hufflepuff Indentured Servant turned and saw her best friend, Hannah Abbott, standing there, looking more than a bit cross. "Hannah!? What are you doing here?" Susan asked, surprised as her friend rarely left the Hufflepuff table. Making room for her next to Susan, everyone watched as Hannah sat down and spoke hastily with her friend.

"Hermione and I have been searching all over the Grounds, not just the castle and the dungeons, but _all_ of the Grounds looking for you lot! Where the bloody blue-blazes have you all been? I've been worried sick that the Slytherins had tried something again, only this time so that none of you would be found! When Hermione came up to me, looking worse than Neville after he loses sight of Trevor I might add, and told me that you all moved out of Gryffindor Tower and Harry was giving you a 'surprise', and none of you had been seen since, what the bloody hell was I supposed to think!? You could have at least given word with somebody on how to get in touch with you, or even told us where you _were_! So? Out with it already! Where. Have. You. Been?"

Susan, not used to seeing her friend so angry, looked helplessly over at Harry, who was then directed with Hannah's glare, which was more than a bit uncomfortable, to say the least. "Uh..." he silently gulped, a little hot under the collar, "Sorry?" Her glare reinforced a thousand-fold, which is to say she frowned and Harry wished he were dead rather than to be placed under that look.

"Look, I'm sorry, it was all my fault, and you're right, I should have told someone, Hermione at the least, where we were and how to get in contact with us. I'm sorry," he humbly apologized to the Hufflepuff. "Look, I'm showing Ron and Hermione, after Lunch here, where it is we'll be staying. Why don't you come with us, and I'll give you all the grand tour while we're at it, all right?"

Hannah kept him under her own patented glare, one she'd learned from her mother incidentally, for another minute before finally letting him off the hook, so to speak, and acknowledged him with a nod, saying, "Fine. But this better be good, and don't think for a moment that I'm through with you mister!"

Gulping again, he just nodded and answered, "Yes Ma'am."

Hannah was scary when she got mad.

Deciding he hadn't had his share of hexes thrown at him yet, he grinned at her. "You're pretty cute when you're mad, you know that?" he asked casually, actually hearing Susan gasp next to him. Furtive mutters from the rest of the girls reached his ears, usually comporting something of the 'uh-oh' variety.

Without a care in the world, or so it seemed, he picked up some toast, buttered and laden with marmalade, and bit into it.

The expected blowup didn't come, and he glanced in the direction of Hannah. Said Hufflepuff was bright red, her eyes wide. _Extremely_ wide. He shrugged. "What?" he asked the rest of his family. "It's the truth, and you all know it."

Hannah finally caught herself, managed to squeak a quick and quiet "Thanks, I guess", and rushed off to the Hufflepuff table. Harry chuckled, and shook his head, continuing to eat.

"That girl has issues," he muttered to himself as he dug into his lunch now that his 'breakfast' was over. Once again, he found the young women next to him preparing his food for him. It irked him a little still, but if it made them happy, he would indulge them. After all, wasn't that what family did? He smiled his thanks at Daphne, and started to eat.

00000

Conversation resumed, and the girls took great delight in talking in vague terms about the wonders of their new home, trying to give Hermione conniptions.

"I _love_ that bed!" Daphne practically squealed.

"And that bath!" Cho replied. "I swear, I would have signed that contract with my full mind had I known about that bathtub!"

Harry chuckled. "Happy to have been of service," he said, grinning.

"And the carpet," Ginny added in. "Those charms! No more cleaning."

The girls chuckled. Count on Ginny to think of housekeeping at a time like this. "Perhaps I should add a dining table," Harry thought out loud. "I think I could persuade a couple of House Elves to send our food to us in the living room. That way, we don't have to make that long trek to the Great Hall... where we're ambushed by Slytherins, teachers, or inquisitive friends..." he smiling widely at Hermione, showing that last part was a joke.

His bushy-haired friend shook her head, and smiled. "You're not going to get to me, you evil witches," she muttered.

"Foiled again!" Luna crowed in a perfect impersonation of an Evil Overlord. Which, considering who she was, sent shivers down the spines of everyone who heard her.

Well, except for Harry, who just chuckled at the antics of his family. "Besides," Daphne said, grabbing hold of Harry. "This one is most certainly _not_ a witch." She leered at him. "I can attest to that."

Harry swallowed deeply, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Daph?"

Her leer intensified. "After spending the night together, you're going to imply I _still_ don't know every inch of that gorgeous body of yours?"

A chuckle went up from some of the girls. Hermione grew red, while Ron had a lecherous grin on his face. Harry shrugged, the uncomfortable look disappearing from his face. "Well, I _did_ think you'd want to keep it a secret that you were too busy screaming to notice _anything_."

The girls broke out laughing at the sight of Daphne Greengrass, the girl who never loses composure, losing composure as she stared at Harry with gaping mouth, wide-open eyes, and nonsensical mutterings coming from her mouth.

"Turnabout is fair play, Daph," Harry replied, chuckling, as he finished his lunch. Grabbing an apple, he soon found the fruit removed from his grip. With deft precision, Daphne started peeling the fruit.

"You're right, Harry, but I have to honestly say I didn't see that one coming."

"You... you..." Hermione squeaked.

Luna waved her hand in front of Hermione's eyes. "I think we broke her," she declared, grinning slightly. "Our evil schemes have finally succeeded!" she declared in the same tone as earlier. Once again, the mood switched directions like a reed in the wind, and everyone stared at her.

The joking and bantering continued amongst the expanding family, while Ron and Hermione just listened in, utterly amazed at the change in their friend. No longer the quiet introvert, Harry seemed to blossom under the careful tutelage of his expanding circle of female 'servants', girls who seemed to be running his life more than he was running theirs. It was strange to them to see how contracts of servitude could bring forth so many changes... some for the worst, but most... most were definitely for the better.

"What the...?" Harry asked when a huge, pitch-black owl entered the Great Hall, its talons clutched around a golden scroll, while holding a small piece of parchment in its beak. The size and color of the owl was enough to quiet the Great Hall once more. As one, all eyes were locked on Harry, who was staring at the huge creature as it flapped on its way, definitely angling towards him. Silently, he cursed. It was bad enough that everyone stared at him as a matter of habit whenever something strange and/or unusual happened... worse still was that they were _right_.

The owl dropped the golden scroll, right in front of him, then landed right next to it, seemingly 'handing' him the parchment.

Harry frowned, took the parchment, and offered the owl some of the leftovers on his plate. The creature cocked its head strangely, then seemed to come to a realization, and started to eat.

"My name is Darryn," Harry read from the parchment. "As you are the new Lord Black, it is my honor to serve you, My Lord." Harry lifted an eyebrow at the black owl, its yellow eyes staring right back.

"I'm guessing you didn't write this yourself," Harry muttered. The owl cocked its head, as if saying, 'No shit, Sherlock'. "So, you're an owl trained to serve the Blacks?"

The owl dipped its head. Harry shrugged. An owl he could deal with. "Why don't you go to the Owlery? I have a snowy white owl called Hedwig, why don't you two go and acquaint yourselves?"

The owl nipped the gold scroll, and didn't move further. Guessing it didn't want to leave until he read the thick, golden scroll, Harry picked it up, unrolled it, and started to read.

"Lord Harry James Potter, it is the third day since you first lay claim to the Black inheritance. As this claim is unchallenged, it has been approved and written into the Registries of Aristocracy of the Ministry of Magic. Separate claims, involving the titles of Lord Potter, Lord Bones, and Baron Greengrass, have also been received and written into the Registries. Those Approvals will follow, when the probationary period expires."

Two more gold scrolls appeared before him, and Harry nearly jumped out of his seat in surprise. A third appeared five seconds later. "I guess the Potter, Bones, and Greengrass approvals came through." He looked at Daphne. "Any reason you didn't tell me this would happen?" he asked, sounding surprised, but not overly so. After days of having girls drop bombshells into his lap, some self-Apparating scrolls was practically nothing.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I thought you'd know... the first time you use a title, a claim is automatically filed against the Registries of Aristocracy. If contested, it will be checked. If the current holder is still the rightful claimant, the new claimant will be punished. In your case, however, you laid legal claim to all those titles... and thus, four separate Approvals were sent to you."

Harry nodded. "You know, this is actually quite nice. I can frame these and hang them on the wall." He chuckled, then glanced at the scroll, half-unread, in his hands. "Hang on, there's more."

"More?" Daphne asked, surprised. "A claim doesn't usually say more than that..."

"We have sent this Approval to you by the Ancestral owl as stated by the Special Decree of the Black Family Inheritance. It is therefore that we have included passage of the other claims within this notice, as it would appear before you first."

"Well, that's nice," Daphne muttered. "An Ancestral owl."

"What's an ancestral owl?" Harry asked, feeling put-out that he didn't know these things... how come nobody bothered to explain this stuff to muggle-raised wizards?

"It's a special lineage of owls, bred specially for one family. Those owls hold special status, for instance, they have priority for public services, and they are officially in the Family Register. Attacking an Ancestral owl is like attacking a member of a family," Daphne explained.

Harry looked at Darryn. "I guess you really _are_ important," the Lord Black said, grinning at the black bird, which merely cocked its head in the other direction. "Hang on, there's more."

"_Still_?" Daphne, Pansy and Tracey all asked at the same time, Susan not far behind.

Harry nodded, his eyes rapidly scanning the document, no longer reading out loud. A confused frown appeared on his features, only to be replaced by a look of shock, then horror, before it became totally void. Putting the gold scroll away, he slammed his head against the table. Twice.

"Harry?" Susan asked.

"Who is it this time?" Luna asked, coming straight to the point. Harry only slammed his head against objects when someone was about to join their family.

Harry wordlessly grabbed the scroll, and held it out to the blond First. The Ravenclaw took the document, and picked up where Harry left off.

"Also present in the Special Decree of the Black Family, the new Lord Black will have until the end of the approval period to cancel the right of servitude. As you did not cancel this right within the approval period, this scroll will act as the Contractor's side of a magically binding contract between yourself, Lord Harry James Potter, and the person matching the description put within the Special Decree."

Luna licked her lips, and looked at still prostrate Harry. "This does look like it will be expanding our family, Harry."

"Just read on, it gets better," Harry muttered darkly.

Luna nodded, and looked down at the scroll. "The Lord Black has the right of servitude from the youngest unmarried female member of the family at the time of the first claim on the title. Within these guidelines, this contract is the contractor's side, between yourself, Lord Harry James Potter, and the youngest, unmarried, female member of the Black Family Line. In this case, this person is Nymphadora Tonks. This Contract became binding when the Claim was filed in the Register of Aristocracy. Congratulations, Harry James Potter, Lord Potter, Lord Black, Lord Bones, Baron Greengrass."

"_TONKS_!?" Hermione screamed.

"Unfortunately," Harry muttered. "When will I ever be rid of this? I _don't_ want to end up with half of wizarding Britain."

"Especially since the male half will kill you if that happens," Ron grunted.

"Probably," Harry whispered. "I wonder how long it'll take her to get... here..."

The door banged open, and in strode Tonks, her face unreadable. In itself, Harry didn't like that one bit... was she angry? Would she scream? Hex him? Threaten him? In those tense ten seconds it took for her to reach the Gryffindor table, countless horror scenarios flashed through Harry's mind, each one more gruesome than the last.

"Harry?"

"Tonks?" Harry answered her question with one of his own.

She lifted a scroll from within her robes. "What's this?"

"I'm assuming it's the companion piece to the scroll Luna has been reading to us," Harry said, feeling that, if he were to die, he'd face his death like a man and go out in a blaze of glory.

Tonks' lips twitched. Was it a good twitch? A bad twitch? Harry didn't know. "I see."

Harry dipped his head in answer to that. "And why did you claim the title of Lord Black?"

Okay... as long as she was asking questions, she wasn't hexing him, and the more time he had to come up with a decent escape plan. He was well aware that the fully-trained Auror in front of him was clumsy, but she was _also_ a Black, AND she was very good with a wand. Furthermore, she was also a unique breed of witch known as a _Metamorphmagus_, meaning she could change her appearance at will. A Polyjuicing witch without the expense of Polyjuice Potion.

"Well, Tonks... I invoked that name because I used a Formal Agreement Clause on a magical contract," he replied, still sounding a lot braver than he felt.

She nodded. "Uh-huh. And why didn't you stop that stupid decree thing that's in this Contract?"

Uh-oh. That sounded distinctly angry. "Because I didn't know?" Harry asked. "Really, someone should have a course for muggle-born wizards, so we _know_ this kind of thing! A week ago, I didn't even know that contracts of servitude existed, let alone that claiming a title that's supposedly, rightfully mine could trigger stuff like this." He swallowed. "I'm sorry, Tonks, but I'm sure we can find some way to release you..."

"Fulfilling the duty of servitude will do that," said Tracey. "After that, you can release her without repercussions."

"Tracey, right?" Tonks asked. The Slytherin nodded. "I've heard of all of you... even Gabrielle, there," the metamorph said, squeezing herself in between Pansy and Tracey. And as she was a metamorph, she took precious little space. "I've heard some interesting tales about hexings, too."

"Nobody attacks my family," Harry declared with a shrug. "Now, about that contract deal... what kind of service are we talking about, here?" He glared at Luna, "And I do _not_ want to hear the word 'ravish' in that reply."

Luna nodded at the direct order. "All it takes is a good old-fashioned horizontal mambo."

"That's supposed to be _tango,_" Hermione said. "Horizontal _tango_."

"I suppose," Luna said. "But I don't know how to tango. I do know how to mambo, though."

Harry buried his face in his hands. "I meant... what _else_ does it take to fulfill this bloody contract?"

Tracey shrugged. "Just about anything, I guess... this isn't a contract of indentured service. This is just a contract of servitude."

Harry sighed, relieved. "Good. Tonks, could you hand me that salt-shaker?"

Tonks looked at the item in question as if it was vile and disgusting. "No."

Harry's hands dropped. "Excuse me?"

"No," the metamorph replied. "You're not going to get rid of me that easily. I've heard things, Harry. You take care of these young women. You treat them like royalty. You fight for them, with wand and word. For once, I'd like someone to do the same for me."

Harry looked at the Enchanted Ceiling, and muttered something under his breath.

"We're _not_ trying to kill you," Luna replied to his mutterings. Mutterings so quiet nobody else had even understood them. "We're just trying to be ra... to do the horizontal mambo."

"_Tango,_" Hermione corrected.

"If you sign a contract, I would be a willing spectator and learn all about the horizontal tango," Luna replied, making the bushy brunette squeak, turn blood-red, and shrink in on herself. "Pity," Luna then said, looking at Harry.

"Why, Tonks?" he asked, practically begging. "Why?"

The metamorph look sad. "Nobody really likes me," she said. "I'm a half-blood, Harry. On top of that, I'm a bleeding Metamorphmagus! Everyone wants me to change into someone else, but never be myself. And every man I've ever liked, wouldn't have me."

Harry blinked. "Didn't you like Professor Lupin?" he asked, shocked that the man would do such a thing.

"He doesn't want me either," Tonks muttered sadly.

Harry glanced at Gabrielle, who was staring with sad and understanding eyes at the Metamorphmagus. Where Veela had a charm that attracted men like flies, it also drove them away. Metamorphmagi, especially full-body Metamorphmagi, were practically the same way. Attractive for their abilities, but scorned for being something _less_ _than human_.

Harry slammed his head against the table once more. He guessed he was developing calluses, as it most certainly didn't hurt as much as it used to do. Sitting up straight, he sighed deeply, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What are the penalties for breaking the contract?" he asked, looking at Daphne, his resident legal genius.

The girl took the Contract/Approval from Luna, and read it. Doing his best to ignore the glare Tonks was giving him, Harry looked straight at Daphne and refused to look anywhere else. "Basically, it's a contract that comes into play when a new Head of the Family first takes his rightful title. Breaking it would have grave repercussions on the Family, and the Title."

"I don't care about the Black family name, nor the stupid title," Harry muttered. "I just don't want to rob _yet another_ person of their freedom, even if said person is _too bloody stupid_ to take freedom when it's offered!"

Tonks flinched, along with half of the present girls. They had all refused the freedom when it was offered. Daphne shrugged, and went on. "Well, for you, it means giving up the Black title, and all the properties will be split between the other Blacks. I guess the title would go to the next in line. I know you don't care about any of those... but perhaps you will care more about the results this will have on Nymphadora."

"Tonks," Tonks grunted. "Never – _ever_ – use that blasted name."

"Tonks here," Daphne amended, shooting an apologetic smile in the older woman's direction.

"Which are?" Harry asked, feeling something cold slither down his spine. He could just _feel_ that he was going to end up with yet another woman in his ever-increasing family.

"She will also lose any claim to her family. Like yourself, she will be an outcast, legally not even the daughter of her own parents. She will lose any right of inheritance, and, basically, won't even be allowed to use her own last name anymore." Shooting an apologetic glance in Tonks' direction, she finished, "Basically, she won't be able to call herself Tonks anymore, either."

"Wasn't Tonks' mother thrown out of the family?" Hermione asked. When Tonks nodded in confirmation, she pressed on, "Then why is this contract about her? And why would it have such power over her?"

Daphne was silent for a few seconds, trying to organize everything she knew about inheritance law. She had been better with magical contracts, not inheritances, but thanks to the research she had to do on her own contract, she still held a surprising amount of information about it.

"Blood," she finally said. "Tonks is bound by blood, the blood that runs through the veins of her mother. When Harry inherited the Black title, the Special Decree needed... well, you know. And when there are no direct members, _indirect_ members are sought. If Tonks hadn't been there, or had been married, then it wouldn't be too surprising to find that the Special Decree would have found someone through some illegitimate, never-before-acknowledged line of the Blacks."

"Basically, she's as stuck as the rest of you," Harry muttered.

"Yes," Luna answered straightforwardly. "You're stuck with us."

"Something else to consider, Harry," Hermione pointed out, "The only other people capable of inheriting the Black Family Fortune and everything else, with Tonks officially nameless and everything, would be Bellatrix Lestrange, or Narcissa Malfoy. If you throw away the Black title... you're basically giving it to both of them on a silver platter."

"Great, like it wasn't already bad enough," he grumbled.

"Look at the bright side, Harry," Luna told him, "We're getting a new member to our family."

Harry looked at her and lifted an eyebrow. She shrugged. "Everyone else would have been overjoyed. You treat it like a funeral."

"There's now yet another great person who's freedom has been robbed," Harry declared, making Tonks' head shoot up, and stare at him. Not seeing the reaction his statement brought, he went on, "So remind me why I should be celebrating?"

"Because your family has grown?" Luna offered.

"Really, Harry," Pansy said, "Servitude to you isn't robbing us of our freedom... it's giving us freedom! You got us out of our dorms, into a splendid shelter. You've been handing us beautiful gifts, you fight the establishment to get us to change Houses if we're unsafe, and you've risked your own freedom multiple times, going after those who were stupid enough to hurt us."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, when Susan cut him off. "And don't pretend that you didn't take risks. You risked going to Azkaban for hexing those people."

"But-"

"We all care for you, Harry. You showed us how much you care, and we care for you, too," Cho, of all people, said.

"If this is what being a servant, or a slave, or whatever title you want to put on it is like, well, I don't ever want to be free again," Ginny said with a shrug. "Besides, with this screwy contract I'm stuck with, I probably won't ever be free, so I got my wish."

"And I still haven't be ra- dancing horizontally," Luna said. "I'm not leaving without it. And seeing how you're still afraid of touching us, that might be for a very long time."

"I'm _not_ afraid of touching you!" Harry grunted, finally seeing his chance to say something. Of course, it was on the wrong subject...

"Then why don't you?" Susan asked.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, glancing at the Hufflepuff.

"It's always _us_ who hug _you_. It's always _us_ who kiss _you_. Except for an innocent good-night kiss, you barely touch us!" Tracey replied in Susan's stead. It had the added effect of forcing Harry to look around, not knowing where the next reply was going to come from. Being ganged up on by no less than _eight_ young women was more overwhelming than fighting Death Eaters could ever be.

"That's because-"

"Don't say it's because you don't want to push us," Pansy said.

"We'll tell you when you go too far, Harry," Daphne said.

"Besides, some of us _want_ you to go farther," Gabrielle said, grinning lecherously.

"I'm in!" Tracey said.

"Ditto!" Ginny added in.

"Of course," Luna declared.

Harry's pleading look went from girl to girl. "Some of us don't want you to go _that_ far," Pansy said. "But you_ can_ touch me, you know."

"Same here," Susan said.

"Ditto," Cho muttered.

"Right in between the two extremes," Daphne declared for herself. "I was quite disappointed you didn't at least _try_ to cop a feel last night."

Harry glanced at his Investment Manager as if she had lost her sanity, and shook his head. "You girls are nuts."

"Thank you, Harry," they all chorused together. And seeing how there were eight of them, that was quite a volume.

He glanced at Tonks. "Have you had lunch yet?"

"Can't eat," Tonks muttered. "I'm too nervous."

Harry sighed. "Is it that bad, Tonks? I promise, just give me that salt shaker over there, and you're free, you can go right back to being an Auror. Even you have to admit, being part of this will be very difficult, seeing as we're all still in school..." his voice trailed off as Tonks' metamorph abilities were demonstrated right before him, and soon, a sixteen-year-old Tonks was sitting there. "Alright," he muttered. "That takes care of _that_ problem... are you going to come back to school, too?"

A scroll was produced. "Enrolled back into Hufflepuff, right back where I was. Besides, there were a few electives that I wanted to take, but never got to."

He looked at Gabrielle. "If I allow an eleven-year-old part-Veela, I would be a hypocrite bringing up the age card now," he said lamely. Why was it so difficult to refuse women? Why didn't any of his logical statement persuade them? Harry came to a sudden realization. Girls weren't logical. Nuts. All of them. Nodding to himself, he knew that _had_ to be the case.

"Harry?"

"Hm?" Harry startled out of his daydream, and glanced around. "What?"

"Tonks?" Susan asked.

Harry looked at Tonks, and decided on playing a little game. They had ganged up on him, he couldn't let that slide. "Hi, Tonks! Say, you're looking rather young today... what brings you here?"

"I think we broke Harry, too," Luna muttered, although there was a strange twinkle in her silver eyes.

Harry lifted an eyebrow. "I don't think I'm broken, Luna," he said. "I feel fine." he glanced around the table. "Say, Luna, care to tell me why there are so many girls sitting around me? And eh... no offense, but, eh..." he leaned forward. "I think some of them are from Slytherin, too."

Luna nodded. "That's because they _are_ from Slytherin, Harry. Let's see, why they're all here. We're all your servants due to mishaps or other fortunate events with magical contracts. We've been living as a family for almost a week now."

"Even Tonks?" Harry asked.

"She was the latest one, just arrived today. You were just about to let her in," Luna replied.

"Oh," Harry said. "Well, seeing as I don't remember any of that, I guess this magical contract business is invalid, right? So, why don't you all go back to your Houses—"

"Stop it, Harry. Please..." Pansy whispered.

Harry blinked. It was supposed to be a joke... "Pansy?"

"Please don't do that... don't say that."

He hadn't wanted to _hurt_ them! It was supposed to be a joke! For about a second, he didn't know what to do. Then, an earlier part of conversation came to the front of his mind, and he stood up, walked around the table, and pulled the girl into a hug. "It was just a joke, Pans. I'm sorry. I wanted to get even for you girls ganging up on me earlier." As she clung to him, he stroked her hair. "I swear I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry."

She actually _sniffed_. "Okay."

With a sigh, he looked at sixteen-year-old Tonks and said, "Welcome to the family, Tonks."

00000

"Harry, why are we in Myrtle's bathroom?" Hermione asked as eleven girls and two boys walked into the Girls Lavatory on the 2nd Floor.

"Ooo, another one Harry?" Myrtle giggled as she floated out of her toilet and caught sight of Tonks.

"Tonks, Myrtle. Myrtle, my latest... acquisition," he introduced with some distaste at the word, "Nymphadora Tonks. You can call her Tonks."

"As for why we're here, Hermione," said Harry in answer, "The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in Myrtle's bathroom."

Even as she watched the sink disappear and the door in the wall appear, the bushy-haired witch was glaring openly at her friend, as she almost growled, "You _didn't_...!"

"Cor blimey, mate!" Ron exclaimed, staring at the door and the implications of what Harry had told them.

"Uh," Tonks raised her hand in confusion, her head shooting back and forth between the missing sink and the ornate door like she was at a tennis tournament, "Question, what does that mean exactly?"

Hannah was just laughing out loud and was being held up by her friends as it all made a funny bit of sense to her. She had been one of the few people to support Harry throughout the years, and she had definitely been one of the few to still believe he _wasn't_ the Heir of Slytherin that year, even after what happened with Justin Finch-Fletchley. Then it was announced at the End of Year Feast that everybody was saved and Harry was innocent, it had been a leftover plot by You-Know-Who from the beginning. Now, after all these years, he's revealing that not only does he know where the Chamber of Secrets is, but he has access, and he's turned it into his personal dormitory for him and all his female servants to live in. It was just too funny!

"It is actually a rather long and interesting story, _Nymph_adora..." Luna spoke in that same tone that Dumbledore got when _he_ said her name like that.

Panicked, Harry looked over at Hermione with a pleading look, while he interrupted his First, who he loved dearly, but he did not need her corrupting any more witches that were his servants! "And Hermione here will explain it to you, Tonks. Luna, you help Susan with getting Hannah down the stairs. I'll go first to clear the way, Ron, you come down last, and please remember to shut the door after you."

"Why?" Pansy asked, suddenly suspicious, "The Chamber is under the Fidelius, so even if the door is left open, there's no chance of somebody just stumbling into it. Not that much of anyone actually comes here. Er..." she winced and looked nervously over at Myrtle, "...sorry. No offense intended."

Myrtle, surprisingly, just shrugged, and said, "That's all right, I've gotten used to it, and it is the truth. Besides, I have all of you now to keep me company, and I can understand wanting to value your privacy and all that." She giggled and then floated down through the floor, probably to greet them in the Chamber itself. Trusting they would follow, Harry lead the way down the stairs.

00000

Meanwhile, in the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey, Headmaster Professor Dumbledore, and Head of Slytherin House Professor Snape were all having an unpleasant conversation as the Specialist Healers from St. Mungos arrived and began prepping their patients for special-Portkey to the hidden hospital.

"This is completely unacceptable! Potter should be expelled! Cast out! I don't care about the stupid prophecy, or that he's supposed to be the deciding factor against You-Know-Who! He's a menace, and will probably be a bane worse than the Dark Lord ever could've been at his worst!" Snape raged as he watched six of his students being taken away for medical treatment. Including a still partially transfigured Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, alongside the burned husks of Montague and Nott and the still paralyzed form of Millicent Bulstrode.

"Harry cannot be expelled for this, Severus," Dumbledore stated in reply. "The most that can be done is docking House Points for assaulting other students, but I will only allow _that_ if you permit the same to be applied to those that Mr. Potter retaliated against for their unprovoked assault on Miss Greengrass, which you have already given your say on the matter, I believe."

He then turned to the School Nurse, and said, "Poppy, thank you very much for your efforts on behalf of the students. It is partially due to you and your skills as a Healer that they are still alive at the moment. Perhaps the others should have been sent to St. Mungo's much sooner, but Minerva did not wish to give up experi—I mean, working to help them on her own. After all, that a student could perform a transfiguration, no matter how incomplete that she could not undo, it was a matter of pride for her. It all seems to have worked out in the end however. Though I do hope that we won't be having to call upon the Transport-Healers any more this school year," as he said this last bit, he turned and landed a solid, non-twinkling glare right at Professor Snape.

The Potions Professor squirmed uncomfortably, but did not say anything further.

Madam Pomfrey, on the other hand, snorted and crossed her arms with a frown. "You say my skills as a Healer are _partially_ why they're all alive, Headmaster? Well, I may be getting on in my years, but I'm not _that_ old yet! The only reason, the _only reason_ those students are being shipped off to St. Mungo's and we're having this conversation instead of a group-funeral is because that young man _let them live_. Make no mistake about it, it wouldn't matter if I got to them a minute after they were hexed, or a day. Harry Potter is not a killer, but that makes him even more dangerous, if you ask me."

At the confused and questioning looks she got from her colleagues, she elaborated. "You-Know-Who only killed a bunch of people and then talked a good game to those that joined up with him, trying to stage some kind of coupe or uprising, or even a civil war. There was always something off about that boy... Anyway, he might kill you, he might torture you, he might even make you kill yourself. But Mr. Potter... He never kills those that earn his ire. He just makes them _wish he had_, every single time. I pity those of your flock, Severus, that choose to attract Mr. Potter's wrath. I'll patch them up, make no mistake about that, but that won't make any difference at all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have Healing Potions and bandages to prepare."

They watched her leave with a curiosity, but neither man chose to say anything. Then they shared a glance, and Professor Snape lead the way out of the Hospital Wing, muttering under his breath, something about 'Bloody Potters!' and other inaudible words, which Professor Dumbledore, of course, completely ignored, though his twinkling smile was back to full-force.

00000

Harry showed them all around, only skipping on showing the Master Bedroom. That was one secret he didn't really want to share. Being a somewhat rude host, he managed to get the trio of interlopers out of his home by simply explaining that they now had as much access as the girls did, but they could only come down if they were accompanied by himself or one of the girls, It took a bit of doing to finally convince Hermione, but he managed somehow and all their friends were satisfied they were safe and then they left, so he could finally bid Tonks a proper welcome.

Unfortunately, he didn't really know how to give her a proper welcome. He still felt she should take the offer and split, but somehow the metamorph had become just as entrenched as Gabrielle had, and in just as short a time, too.

When Tonks finally asked about the place, and Luna and Ginny started recounting, Harry stood up and excused himself. Halfway down the living room, he drew his wand. Walking straight to the wall that covered the Chamber itself, he jerked his wand to the right and exclaimed one word.

A burst of magic flung itself at the wall, Transfiguring a bronze door. Drawing it open without breaking stride, Harry walked through it, and slammed it closed behind him.

"He's just going to blow off some steam," Susan told Tonks, somehow feeling related to the Hufflepuff alumnus.

"He still does not see why it is a good thing that his family keeps growing," Luna said, sadly. "For him, he takes away our freedom. He does not yet realize he is giving it to us, rather than taking it away."

00000

The rest of the afternoon was surprisingly pleasant, the girls all using the time to occupy themselves with settling into their new abodes. Luna, Tracey, Ginny and Gabby all finally got to "christen" the _gigantic_ bath tub. Cho and Susan went about stocking up Harry's shelves for a private library, while Tonks, Pansy, and Daphne did their own things.

Tonks explored a bit, and also went back up into the castle for a little while, to get herself reacquainted with the halls of Hogwarts and back to being a Hufflepuff rather than a respected face-changing Auror. Daphne occupied herself with finishing up the Contracts for all her family members that she knew they'd need, while outlining a basic business plan that should start getting Harry some very nice profits very quickly.

Pansy just sort of flit between all the rest of the girls, hanging with Tonks until she left, hovering over Daphne until told to go away, helped the bookworms with about two volumes before becoming bored with that, and briefly walked into the bathroom, only to walk right back out.

Finally, Pansy just walked up the stairs and talked with Myrtle for a few hours.

After their "christening", Luna called all of the girls together, Tonks included, and explained the whole 'uniform' concept once more, for the benefit of the "new recruits", and personally directed them in crafting said uniforms as quickly as possible. Tonks and Gabrielle, especially had a lot to make up for. That chore kept them busy for the rest of the day until almost dinner time.

Harry, on the other hand, was very occupied with yet another project that had occurred to him, and he was busy in the closed-off section of the Chamber of Secrets for a good many hours without anybody knowing what he was up to. Finally, just before dinner time, he stepped out of the transfigured wall, which vanished the moment he stepped through the doorway, covered in grime and sweat and had obviously been exercising himself greatly, if not physically, then most definitely his magic!

"Harry? Are you OK?" Luna asked the moment she saw him. She was wearing a bathrobe, but unfortunately (in her mind anyway) she also had additional articles of clothing on beneath it. Articles that it was too soon to show to Harry, so she had to keep the robe cinched tight against her petite body.

"Huh?" he looked at them all, a bit confused, until he suddenly realized where he was, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine Luna, nothing to worry about. I'm just going to take a quick shower before heading up to dinner."

"Would you like some help scrubbing your back?" four voices rang out in very odd unison, especially since they had _not_ planned it that way.

Normally, Harry would look uncomfortably between Luna, Tracey, Ginny, and Gabrielle for several moments, but he was just too tired to play the game right then, so he replied in a dull voice, "No. That's why I made sure to install a private, windowless, mirrorless, 2-layer Fidelus protected shower stall. I'm reluctant enough as it is having you girls _owned_ by me, I'm not about to turn you all into Scarlett women, by reputation or by action! So none of that, all right?" Harry very rarely 'laid down the law' like that, and as such they all knew that when he did, it was time to stop with the games and just do exactly as he said. Besides, it was no fun teasing him when he was tired and grouchy like that.

"Good. Maybe if you're all good, I'll show you a surprise I've cooked up for you," he mysteriously said as he left to get cleaned up.

"A surprise?" they all asked each other with a manic gleam in their eyes.

00000

"Come on!" Ginny pleaded.

"Nope," Harry replied, sitting down at the Gryffindor Table for dinner. "It's a secret for tonight."

"But I want to know!" the redhead whined.

Harry glanced around the table, and looked at Ron, several spaces over, the closest his friend could sit with all the women surrounding him. "What happened to _him_?" he asked, totally ignoring Ginny's whining, and nodding towards a third-year with a black eye.

"The little shite took out a bet on who your next girl was going to be. Katie Bell got her hands on him when he refused to pay up, claiming you've gotten someone not on the list instead of returning the bets."

Harry's first instinct was to stand up and hex the boy into oblivion for taking out bets on his personal life. Immediately afterward, he calmed down... after Katie was through with the boy, he was sure to be singing soprano for a _long_ time. Shrugging, he grabbed some dinner.

"Please?"

"Are you _still_ going on about that?" Harry asked, disinterestedly. "I told you, it's a surprise for tonight."

"But..."

"Gin," Harry said, calmly, fixing her with a _look_. It shut up the redheaded Gryffindor in no time.

"How did you do _that_, mate!?" Ron exclaimed, impressed. "I've never seen someone shut up Gin when she's pleading!"

Harry trained the same _look_ on his best friend. Ron shuddered visibly, and seemed to shrink in on himself. "Point taken," he muttered quietly, barely coming out over the hubbub of the Great Hall. Grinning, Harry nodded, and glanced over to where Katie was sitting. Catching her eyes, he lifted his goblet in quiet salute to her.

To which the girl turned bright red, averted her eyes, and refused to look up. Harry frowned. "What's that all about?" he wondered out loud.

"Perhaps she wants to be the next to join your family," Luna suggested.

Harry looked up abruptly and stared at her. "What do you-"

"There are plenty of girls who want to join our family," Pansy said, actually making Harry smile at the way she said _our_ family.

"But-" he tried again, only to be cut off by one of the girls at the other side.

"With all your political power, not to mention _economic_ power, it's only natural," Cho said.

"What-"

"Certainly you've thought about it, Harry? You've got the political and economic power of the Potters, the Blacks, the Bones', and the Greengrass'," Daphne said, making him turned his head yet again, and cutting him off.

"Actually-" he tried.

"After all," Tracey put in, making him turn his head yet again, and cutting him off, "the Ministry hasn't barged in here yet, and tried to arrest you for hexing six prominent pureblood children."

"But-"

"You _did_ think about that, didn't you, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"I-"

Meanwhile, Tonks was grinning widely at the game of 'confuse the heck out of Harry', as it looked as if the poor boy was watching a tennis match. "You didn't think it was because of those very pretty eyes of yours, did you, Harry?" she asked, wanting to get in on this game while she could.

"Well, I-" Harry said.

"It's not _just_ because you are now one of the wealthiest, most influential wizards around, not to mention, one of the most powerful, Harry," Gabrielle said. Harry stared at her, not even trying to formulate a response. How a little eleven-year-old _French _part-Veela knew those things and he himself did not, he could not fathom.

He just shook his head, and resigned himself to his fate. There was no winning against the girls once they ganged up on him. Once he was assured they weren't going to cut him off again, he opened his mouth.

And was cut off before he got the first syllable across his lips.

"And thanks to that power, we are more free now than we ever were before we joined the family," Susan said, having waited to speak her part until Harry tried again. Harry groaned, and buried his face in his hands.

"You're also the Golden Boy of Hogwarts, a really nice guy, and you take care of your girls, us, so well that we never want to leave," Luna cackled with glee. "That's something you need to learn about women, Harry. While we make a lot of noise about being independent, a lot of us still want our Knight in Shining Armor to come swoop down and rescue us, and to feel protected. And you do that for us."

The girls laughed, while Hermione grinned, and shook her head. Ron stared in sympathy at his best friend as he was torn apart by vicious, ravenous... girls. Of course, they used words rather than wands, but they were still, vicious and ravenous... girls.

Thankfully for Harry, their fun had shifted the focus away from his mysterious secret, and dinner actually progressed rather nicely once he didn't try to talk. He conceded the battle to the girls, assured himself he was going to win the war, and ate in silence, with a mysterious smirk etched on his lips. The devilish glint in his eyes didn't please the girls one bit.

"Harry?"

"Hm?" he replied, doing his best to sound distracted.

"What are you thinking about?" Ginny asked.

Harry's smirk grew wider. He did not answer, and looked down at his plate. Without comment, he continued to eat.

"You're smirking, Harry. Either this bodes very bad for someone else..." Daphne said.

"... or it bodes very bad for us," Tracey finished.

Harry smirked at the two Slytherins, and returned to his food. Tonks chortled with laughter at the sight of Harry turning the tables, all without speaking a single word.

"Luna?" Pansy asked. "Can't you..."

Luna looked up from her own plate, glanced at Harry, noticed the smirk and the twinkle in his eyes as he looked at her. She looked back, unblinking. Staring from one to the others, the girls noticed neither Harry nor Luna blinked.

Finally, Luna shrugged. "He doesn't want to tell," she said, resuming her meal. "It seems we are being given 'the silent treatment'."

"Wasn't that supposed to be a girl thing?" Ron asked, eavesdropping.

"It seems that Harry is taking the technique to a new level," Tonks said. "I've never come across anyone who pulled it off like Harry does. That vicious smirk and horrible twinkle clearly indicates he's planning something very bad... if I were a betting woman, I'd say he's conceded the battle, and is determined to win the war."

Harry just smirked, and took a sip from his goblet. He licked his lips. He opened his mouth. The chatter of the girls died down, and they all leaned in, eagerly awaiting him to speak.

He burped, then closed his mouth and smirked.

"Harry!" at least four of his girls shouted.

He shrugged, not apologetic at all, and lifted one eyebrow.

They all groaned. Hermione shook her head, while Ron was laughing so hard his sides hurt. He couldn't help himself... this was funny as hell!

00000

Dinner progressed quickly enough, what with Harry not speaking and just shooting mysterious grins at the girls and his friends. Finally, they made their way back to the redecorated Chamber of Secrets.

"So, what's the big secret?" Ginny asked, sounding quite angry at the silent treatment and the length of time she had been forced to wait. Harry smirked, and motioned for the recently added bronze door.

"You wanted to learn _real_ magic," he explained. "I will teach it to you. The hard way." The girls shuddered, suddenly not liking the idea of learning Harry's new skill set. The boy in question opened the bronze door, stepped through, and motioned for them to follow.

Luna didn't share in the look the others shot each other, and just stepped forward. "It will be most interesting to learn these skills," she said as she entered the recently expanded Chamber of Secrets.

The other girls shrugged and followed. "This is the changing room," Harry said, closing the door behind them. The room was large, square, made of the same ocher-brown rock as the rest of the secret dwelling. Along two opposing walls, dressing cabins had been set, while a double row of seats was present in the middle.

In the far wall, another door was present, as well as a number of coat hooks and coat hangers.

"Is this silk?" Cho asked, fingering the garment that hung from one of the coat hangers.

"Linen," Harry answered. "Ancient Egyptian Linen is the best ever produced, and can rival silk in many of its qualities." He reached over, and took one of the outfits from the wall. "When we train, we'll need to change into these... I've made them to be loose, plus this sort of linen breathes especially well." The girls noticed that it was some sort of short, reaching halfway down to the knees, plus a free-going shirt to cover the upper body, leaving shoulders and arms free.

Putting the outfit back, and reached for the bronze door on the other side of the room. "This is the training room. I've sunk most of my frustrations into this. Sometimes, it pays to be able to use Egyptian Magic and just use pure, raw, emotion to get rid of frustrations." The girls just nodded, totally silent. Nobody knew quite what to say... Especially as Harry had built all this in a single afternoon, where "Professionals" would probably take a month!

The group entered into a room that was completely dark, the light that came in through the door reflecting in strange patterns off the glossy black walls, ceiling and floor. As soon as Harry closed the door behind them, even that light vanished, and only a faint glow emanated from the strange stone walls.

"This room is a combination of illusions, Room of Requirement-level spells, and magic-detection charms. Basically, you take one of these Illusion Wands," Harry said, reaching out and taking a wand off a shelf that the girls only now noticed was there. The wand itself looked like a straight stick of wood, not a single mark or identifying feature present on it. "These wands are part of the illusion of this room, they're not real." He stepped to the center of the room.

"Identify," he stated. The floor underneath him glowed, lines of various length and color radiating out in a circle from where his feet made contact with the black surface. "This is the Identify," he said, waving to the various lines. "Green is physical strength, Yellow is physical endurance. Red is the strength of the magical core, brown is the endurance, or reserves, of your core. When you cast a spell – _Reducto!_ - Gold indicates the strength of your last-cast spell." The Reducto slammed against the black wall, leaving not a a trace. "As this is an Illusion Chamber, the illusion wands create false spells. They take identical power and strength to the real deal, but as they're just illusions, do no damage whatsoever. That means, you can use whatever spell you want in here, and have no damage done with it." He drew a breath.

His wand was pointed to a wall, as far away from the girls he could. "_Avada Kedavra!_"

The sick green of the Killing Curse struck the wall. The gold line around Harry increased in thickness and length, now forming a half-circle around his feet. "Even the Unforgivables." he looked at the girls, finding them all staring at him in shock. "The first one to cast an Unforgivable in a real setting without a damn good reason will answer to me."

They all nodded mutely. "Anyway," he went on, all trace of the deadly seriousness that had gripped him gone. "This is the training room, an Illusion Chamber. It'll allow us to spar against each other, doing convincing illusions when a spell hits another, without doing actual damage." He pointed his wand at Luna. "_Petrificus Totalus_."

Luna's arms and legs snapped together, and she fell over. Right before hitting the ground, her fall arrested, and she floated gently down. "As you can see, not even a bruise," Harry said as he released the spell.

"You're going to train us in here?" Tracey asked.

Harry dipped his head. "Yes, but not right now." He motioned for the brown line, a small, narrow, barely one-eighth circle. "My reserves are low."

The girls seemed to accept that, and soon, the group piled into the living room, still feeling the shock of Harry's new training room. "How did you build something like that in just a few hours?" Cho asked.

Harry smiled. "Egyptian Magic has many shortcomings," he explained. "It's based upon will power and emotion, both incredibly volatile. It is a magic of desire and intent, rather than being based on rational logic as modern magic seems to be. So, rather than doing spells to create the various effects, I simply sunk my frustration into a construction spell that would build me the training room as I envisioned it. Volatile and dangerous if you can't keep your mind focused and your emotions in check. If you slip up, the magic might turn against you, or have unpredictable results."

"So why use it?" Daphne asked.

Harry's smile widened as he sat before them. "Because, my dear Daphne, Egyptian Magic _uses_ the power of human emotion. The more you feel and the more intense your feelings, the stronger the results. And, when someone does something, without trepidation, without reservation, a person using its power can do the most amazing things. Like this home, like the training room, like hexing Malfoy and his goons, or cursing Montague and his ilk. Frankly, it's the same mindset as I explained to McGonagall – do with me what you want, but do not touch my family. I don't care what happens to me. I do what I must to make you happy, to make you safe, and to give you a future. If that requires me to build a training room to help you get stronger, so be it." He shrugged as they stared in shock once more. "And that power, the power of love, is why Egyptian Magic can not be beaten – unless by its own wielder. Become corrupted by its power, and it will destroy you."

"Harry..." over half the girls muttered.

Harry just smiled, and looked to his right, where Luna was seated next to him. "Turn around, Luna," he said, his tone more of a request than an order. His First turned, a faint smile appearing on her lips. Materializing a hairbrush, he started brushing the girl's hair.

Daphne, Cho, Gabrielle, and Tonks stared at the tableau, while the others just smiled faintly, remembering how Harry did that before. Slowly, conversation started up once again, the extending family getting to know each other better. Harry changed girls, brushing first Ginny's hair, then doing Susan's, and braiding it, as well. Pansy was next, her short hair requiring little attention, before he shifted to Cho, who had equally little attention requirements. Next was Daphne, her shoulder-length hair requiring a little more, but not much.

Gabrielle was next, and the part-Veela's huge volume of hair took Harry just as long as it took Luna's, yet the smile on his face as he did so was indication enough that he enjoyed this.

When he finally finished with Gabrielle's hair, he looked at Tonks. The metamorphmagus grinned at him, turned her hair into a hallucinogenic shade of neon-green, with dark-purple streaks running through it. As soon as the color was to her liking, she grew it to her waist, then shot him a grin.

He eyed his hairbrush, grinning at the laughter of the rest of the girls at the sight Tonks made. "You know, Tonks," he said, sitting down again, twirling the instrument through his fingers. "This brings up something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Tonks suddenly looked resigned. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"This is your home as well," he said. She looked up at him, startled and confused. "I can understand why you'd want to look sixteen for those idiots out there, but this is your home. We're your family. I want you to be comfortable here... and I would really like you to be yourself. Just yourself. No neon-hair, no appearing younger than you are, no tightening up certain things or looking like someone else. Just you, Tonks."

She was silent for long seconds. "You really mean that, don't you?"

Harry looked at the rest of the girls. "Why do you women keep asking me that? I wouldn't say it if I hadn't meant it..." he looked back to Tonks. "I mean what I say, Tonks."

She started to shift, suddenly looking like her early-twenties self. Her chest grew slightly in size, her face becoming slightly more rounded. Where before she had been quite pretty, she now looked... normal. Harry's smile widened. To him, she looked more beautiful now than she had ever looked.

"And the hair?" he asked, eying her waist-length hallucinogenic green-and-purple cacophony of hair.

"You _like_ playing with hair!" she protested. "I thought I'd give you something to play with!"

Harry shook his head, and sat down next to her. "Turn around," he said, brandishing his hairbrush. Before he started, he leaned over her shoulder. "Let's make a deal. I'll brush this... cobweb... you call hair, if you will change back to your real hair after this, and will refrain from excess transformations while we're in here. I meant it when I said I want you to be you. I'm not a Metamorphmagus myself; but holding a transformation can't be easy."

Tonks glanced to her side, where Harry's face was right next to hers. "Alright," she finally said. "Deal."

"Great!" Harry said, enjoying his victory, and started to brush Tonks' really weird hair. Granted, the colors burned in his eyes, but it was very nice and very thick, which made brushing it quite fun, actually. Conversation resumed, and fifteen minutes later Harry put his brush down.

The long hair morphed, becoming about shoulder-length, a gentle chestnut brown in color. Harry smiled at her. "That's my Tonky."

"_Tonky_?" Tonks muttered.

"Sure," Harry said. "Most of the girls get a nickname. I haven't found something for Luna yet, but I will, someday. We've got Trace, Pans, Suse, Daph, haven't found something for Cho yet, either, and same promise to you, young lady, Gin, Gabby, and now, Tonky."

"I don't want to be Tonky," Tonks pouted.

"You could be Nymphie," Harry declared.

"Tonky's fine," the metamorph agreed hurriedly.

Harry smirked at her. He was on a roll! Two victories already. "Don't worry, Tonks. He doesn't use those names often," Luna said.

"That's fine for you to say, you don't have one," Tonks muttered.

"That's because I enjoy the names he gives me, which takes his fun out of using them," Luna replied with a smile. "Of course, apart from Cho, no-one's been smart enough to use that technique."

"I don't mind him using Daph," Daphne said. "Trace used it long before I ever met Harry."

"I just like Daph," Harry said with a shrug. "And I only use them when I'm in a really good mood. Which reminds me, I have something I have to do. If you ladies would excuse me for a moment." He stood up, and walked into the master bedroom.

"What was that about?" Tonks asked.

The other girls had a pretty good idea, but remained silent, leaving Gabrielle and Tonks discussing what Harry was going to do, rather annoyed at the others for not saying anything.

Harry returned a few minutes later, and sat down in the same spot he had vacated earlier. Snapping his fingers, he retrieved two elongated packages out of thin air. "Gabrielle," he said, needlessly drawing her attention. He handed her one package. "I do this when I feel I know a new arrival. Since yesterday, I think I have gotten to know you. So... welcome to the family."

The part-Veela grabbed the package with the abandon of youth, and tore into the gift wrapping. When the jewelry box snapped open, her enthusiasm died down, and she stared with slack-jawed intensity at the pieces inside.

A delicate platinum necklace greeted her, its silver-metal shine matching the silver-blond of the young girl's hair. Set in a delicate pendant of the same material as the necklace, was a single Sphalerite stone, amber in color, yet light refracted through it as if the stone contained fire itself. The match was incredibly smart, the delicate impression of the precious-metal chain coupled to the unusually soft yet fiery-colored gemstone matching the girl for whom it was selected. Delicate at first glance, yet powerful and passionate when you got to know her.

Coupled to the necklace was a pair of platinum earrings, small chains that would be visible even with the girl's long hair, each chain inset with three small, delicate-looking red sunstones that shone with an eerie intensity, even in low-light conditions.

"These..." Gabrielle whispered.

"They're yours," Harry said.

Finding that the other girls were wearing their necklaces, the girl gingerly lifted the platinum pendant out of its case, and slipped it around her neck. She fumbled a bit with the lock, but soon it clasped shut. Harry smiled. The item looked beautiful on her, just as he thought it would.

Before he had a chance to admire her further, she was around his neck, kissing each of his cheeks multiple times, thanking him each time. Smiling, his arms around her to keep the enthusiastic girl from tipping over the couch with them in it, he told her, "Welcome to the family."

Finally, he managed to calm down Gabrielle. Extending the second package to Tonks, he said, "I've known you for longer... but to my shame, that doesn't mean I knew _you_. But, when I saw this, I immediately had to think of you. I hope you like it... and welcome to the family."

The metamorph accepted the package with moisture in her eyes. Slowly, she opened the gift-wrapped package, and opened the jewelry box. She couldn't stop a small scream when she saw what was inside.

The metal of the necklace was a weird blue-black, unlike any metal the girls had ever seen before. It was dainty-looking, but the weird metal seemed to offset the apparent fragility with a strength its onlookers could hardly believe. Rather than fragile, the entire necklace looked strong and forceful, standing on its own, a similarly unique piece, rather like the woman it was to be paired with. Set in a single pendant made of the same metal was a single polished amethyst, the purple color and marvelous refraction an almost mirror-image of the strange purple color the woman had put into her hair earlier.

A matching set of platinum earrings was also present, twin chains containing each one amethyst attached above a single, dark lavender-colored charoite stone. Longer than most earrings, they would allow the metamorph to grow out her hair and still allow them to be visible.

"These are beautiful," Tonks muttered, having trouble to handle her own emotions. She, too, locked the necklace into place with fumbling and trembling fingers. And once again, Harry found himself hugging and laughing with a very excited woman.

"What metal is this?" Daphne asked, after the commotion finally died down.

"Osmiridium alloy," Harry replied. "Even more difficult to make than platinum, but incredibly strong."

"And heavy, too," Tonks said. "It weighs more than I thought it would."

"Dense," Harry nodded.

"Huh?" Tonks looked up, confused, as did about half the girls there.

Chuckling a bit, he repeated, "It weighs more because osmiridium is a denser alloy than most. The more density something has, the heavy and tougher it is all around." Shrugging, he repeated once more, "Dense."

"Well, now that all that is out of the way," Luna suddenly spoke up, "Girls. It's time. Start getting ready while Tracey and I distract Harry."

"Excuse me?" Harry blurted, surprised when all of them got up and went into the bedroom, except for Luna and Tracey of course, who actually came up and physically held him down when he tried to stand up. Well, actually, they just pushed him back into his seat, but it equated to the same thing in his mind.

"Luna, Tracey," he spoke in a sterner tone of voice. Until both girls knelt right in front of him and gave him their best Puppy Dog Pouts. Groaning at how they kept managing to do that, he flopped back in his seat and growled at them, "Can you at least explain to me exactly what is going on here?"

"It's a surprise," Tracey spoke in a 'giggly little girl's voice' while tracing patterns on his knee.

"We've decided to correct an oversight that had been neglected for far too long," Luna answered straightforward. Tracey rolled her eyes and added, "But since we're about to show you anyway, I guess Luna will go ahead and ruin it for you."

"Huh?" was all he could say to all that.

"Well, every servant needs a uniform," Luna explained, "to show who they belong to, and to present their master with visual pleasure. It really is a disturbing conspiracy in how the Ministry managed to cover up the Potter Family uniform for servants so completely."

"I really don't need to hear it," he spoke quickly before the silver-eyed blonde could actually go into explaining her conspiracy theory.

"Wait... uniform?" he suddenly blurted with a double-take. "We already have school uniforms, I don't want you girls..." Tracey put her finger over his mouth to stop him from talking any more.

"And like I said, this is our surprise for you," she explained. "It's something we _wanted_ to do, and did in our free time. Besides, a couple of them, you couldn't _order_ us to wear in public, no matter what you said or did. This is just for your eyes only, and that makes it special. For us, and hopefully, for you too."

Harry blinked, then moved Tracey's finger away and asked, "Uniform_**S**_? A _couple of them_? What exactly are we talking about here?"

"Oh, Ginny had this most marvelous idea, when—" Tracey quickly cut Luna off before she could get started. "There were three basic types that we all liked, and we couldn't decide between the three of them... so we decided to make and use all three, each for a different purpose. What I like to call; Public, Private, and Bedroom Fun."

Harry could only groan and wish he could just make this all go away. Then the bedroom door opened back up and the girls started to file out. After that, he could only stare, and try not to drool on himself.

00000

The girls were all nervous, and for rather obvious reasons when considered. They'd gone into the bedroom, 'Meadow View', with their trunks and quickly got dressed into their 'uniform'. It was actually Cho who had revealed the spell for them, as being in her 7th Year, she'd been taught in Charms more advanced than many of the others had learned just yet. So three uniforms became a single uniform that a simple wave of the wand would then transfigure it into one of the other sets. Nevertheless, this was the first time that any of them had done anything like this. Sleeping in bed with transfigured nightgowns was one thing, but this was a whole _presentation_!

Finally, they were all ready, dressed in their 'Public' uniforms, and Ginny took the proverbial bull by the horns and opened the door and lead them back into the sitting room. Given that they were basically "presenting" themselves before their "master", they were all very quiet and demure and walking with precise, balanced steps until they were arranged before him in a semi-circular line. At some point, Tracy and Luna disappeared for a minute or two, leaving Harry staring up at six young women, dressed in what they were calling their 'uniforms'.

First thing that one noticed, seeing them all together like that, is the colors. Ginny was the only one wearing red, whereas Pansy, Daphne, and Tracey after she suddenly reappeared in her own uniform, were all in green. Susan, Tonks, and surprisingly Gabrielle were in yellow, while Cho and a newly clad Luna were in a royal blue. After a moment, the secondary colors began to filter through, as tracery patterns and amazingly detailed embroidery were done in gold, silver, raven black, and bronze. Once past the colors, one can notice the exact patterns that were put into the embroidery, and that it must have been magically enchanted in some way, as full-maned lions and lionesses frolicked all over Ginny, silvery snakes slithered in simultaneously selective sorts set upon the Slytherin seductresses, while rolling balls of fluff and muscle played around atop the canary-yellow clad young ladies, and bronze-plated hawks dove and soared across the blue 'skies' of Cho and Luna's uniforms.

After appreciating the detail, one is then allowed to go back to where Harry was stuck in gearshift, and notice the oriental-Chinese inspired form-fitting dresses and how they clung tightly and provocatively to the young, graceful bodies of his servants and slaves. They were mostly sleeveless, only having enough to cover the shoulders, but leaving the arms completely bare. They gave the impression of tunics as they folded across the chest, fastening to ornate clasps just beneath the left shoulder. The collar was small and did not cover the neck, but did not dip beneath the collarbone, presenting a dignified appearance that one might expect from a Lady or Courtier. The dress was also floor length, ending right at, or above the ankles, depending on the natural height of the lady, below which they wore tasteful platform dress shoes, barely an inch and a half in the heel.

The dresses were also so tight that they fit like corsets and while they tastefully covered everything a woman might wish to cover, the cloth used conformed so well to their bodies that one didn't need a lot of imagination to go much further. Also, along each left leg, was a split in the skirt, going from the ankle and practically putting the entire limb on display all the way up to the girl's hip, where it then clasped together as part of the tunic. The uninhibited combination of tasteful beauty with lustful display gave each of the young beauties the appearance of being at least a few years older than she truly was. Except maybe for Tonks, who had momentarily changed her hair and face to match with some famous model that everybody in Europe recognized, Wizard or Muggle.

Even Gabrielle looked almost seventeen years old!

So it's understandable how Harry's brain could short-circuit in such circumstances. Luna introduced the uniform once he'd regained enough of himself to actually move again. "This is what we've decided to show to everyone else, when not in class, and when serving you. Thanks to Cho teaching us the Displacement Charm, we can now switch between our school uniforms and these whenever we enter your presence outside of class. It also helps us to change into our other uniforms, and while I have no problem with wearing the others all the time, everybody else insisted that we only wear those when we are in private with you," she pouted at him.

"Uh, _other_... um, I mean, Other uniforms?" he squeaked before correcting himself, overcompensating on the deep voice.

"Oh yes," the girl practically glowed with happiness. "Ready, girls?" They all nodded, then together, they waved their wands and performed the Silent Charm, even Gabby, which was very impressive. Until Harry saw the uniforms that had replaced the first, and he had a whole new definition of 'impressive'.

Think; Fluffy and Lacey and Ridiculous French Maid Uniforms.

On the older girls, there was a bit of sexy allure, especially with Tonks, after she briefly "expanded" the top of her uniform, only to revert to her natural appearance at Harry's glare. On the younger girls, they were just plain silly, although Gabby was absolutely adorably _cute_ in hers!

If they'd been working for Sexy French Maid, one would expect short skirts, low tops, and see-through lace. That's not what Harry was seeing, as there were full bodices, and while they skirts did go most of the way to the knee, there were so many petticoats beneath said skirt that it was comically fluffed out to mid-thigh. If anything, the outfits were more humiliating than sexy, and Harry was very grateful that they did not actually want to go out in these outfits, as he didn't want to even imagine the hit to their reputations after even one of them was seen in it.

After the day he'd had, despite the lazy morning, the later stresses still compounded together, combined with the stunning appearance of them in the _Public_ uniforms, and then seeing them in these horribly ridiculous costumes, he really couldn't help it. He laughed.

He laughed so hard that he was gasping for breath inside a minute, and clutching his gut inside of two. He was laughing so hard that he actually fell out of his seat and started to roll back and forth, struggling to find breath, just so he could laugh some more.

At first, most of the girls were a bit angry at this reaction, but as he just kept on laughing, they couldn't help but to smile a little, then somebody giggled softly. Finally, they looked around at each other in their Maid uniforms, then back at the dying-laughing Harry on the floor, then back at each other, and that broke the dam. They all exploded in laughter, some falling on their butts to join Harry in rolling on the floor laughing, most struggling to get to the couches so they could save themselves from that indignity. Luna, however, was still the odd one out, as from the beginning and even still, she had a content, almost satisfied grin on her serene face, and was not laughing at all. Instead, she seemed to be enjoying the laughter of the others, until she finally nodded her head, as though it were all perfectly expected and logical and planned. Then she slowly began to help Harry back to his seat and once that was accomplished, attempted the same for all of the others on the floor.

"Thank you, girls," Harry finally said, wiping the tears from his eyes and lifting himself back in his seat, holding on to his aching sides. "I needed a good laugh."

"Well, it wasn't the reaction we were hoping for," Ginny said, "but you're welcome, I guess."

Harry snickered. "Well, that first uniform you showed me was incredible, and I can't wait to show you all off tomorrow."

Luna pressed herself to his side. "Show us off, Harry?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him. He grinned, and threw an arm around her.

"How could I not? I happen to have the most incredible young women around me," he said, honestly. It was a bit of a scramble to fill the empty space on Harry's other side. Susan won, having had the advantage of being closest by when their laughing had finished.

"Incredible, are we?" she asked, pressing herself to his other side. Once again, as if on automatic, his other arm came up and went around her shoulders.

"Yup, very," he said. "In fact, I can't get over the fact that none of you want to go, and that none of you are angry about what's happened."

To his utter astonishment, Pansy sat herself down in his lap, the action drawing many a jealous look, as the others realized they hadn't thought of it _first_. "That's because _you_ are a good man, Harry Potter," she said, leaning in, and hugging him now that he had both arms occupied. "Remember what I told you. You're not getting rid of us. We're not going anywhere."

Remembering when he had that conversation with her, and the nightmare that had sparked it, his grin froze slightly as he stared deep into her eyes. Most of the others, wondering what this was about, went absolutely quiet. Except for Luna, who had a satisfied smile on her face.

"Pansy," he muttered.

"It was true then, and it's true now," she said. "We're not leaving you, unless it's kicking and screaming, and it'd better be something big and nasty, as I don't think you're going to let just _anything_ take us against our wills."

He sighed, not really understanding, but realizing the truth in her words. Once more, her lips fluttered against his. "Now and forever," she whispered. In the utter silence, her whisper might as well be a scream.

He disentangled his arms from Luna and Susan, and hugged the girl on his lap. "Thank you, Pansy."

She tightened her own hold on him. "Thank _you_, Harry."

Finally letting go of her, he looked around the room, finding shocked and startled looks on the rest of the girls' faces. Well, all the girls except for Luna, but nothing she did surprised him anymore. "You all feel that way?" he asked.

Dumbly, mutely, they all nodded in unison. Well, once again, except for Luna, who merely smiled serenely and nodded.

With a single glance, he asked Pansy to get up, and silently, she obeyed. A second silent glance had Luna and Susan get up from the couch. He looked at each of them in turn, staring each of them in the eye for long seconds, as if he really _could_ see through the windows of their souls. Of course he could not, but what he _did_ see seemed to answer something that weighed heavily on his mind. Tension they hadn't realized was there seemed to flow away.

He hugged the first girl he came across, which was Luna. "Thank you," he whispered, fluttering his lips across hers. The strange Ravenclaw seemed to glow as he released her. Next came Susan, and he hugged her, and kissed her, and thanked her. One by one, he hugged them. And kissed them. And thanked them.

And by the time he had kissed Gabrielle, he had come to a second important realization.

Those girls had corrupted him, as he actually started to enjoy that touchy-feely crap they were always going on about. Grinning widely at his extended family, he grabbed two girls at random, and fell down into _his _couch. Tracey and Cho practically screamed as he dragged them down with him.

"So, girls, what's next?" he asked with a lecherous grin. "I seem to recall Luna mentioning a third uniform set... and as much as I like the look of those highly amusing uniforms on you, I'm quite ready for a change."

Luna smiled widely. "As it is bed time, so it's best that we show you our final uniform as we're getting ready for bed."

"Aw, but I don't wanna," Harry teasingly whined like a toddler, hugging the Slytherin on his left and the Ravenclaw on his right closer to his body.

Luna just shrugged and smiled that enigmatic airy smile of hers, and somehow they all found themselves filing into the bedroom. The last thing Harry saw before falling into the center of the bed, was the new uniforms, and all he could clearly say through his suddenly-numbed mind was that the colors matched the Public uniforms perfectly.

And he was quite sure that this memory alone would be enough to get him to sleep with a smile on his face for years to come. And thanks to one Slytherin girl, he was also sure, for the first time in his life, that he wasn't going to be abandoned ever again.

The smile on his face that night could have lit up the skies of the illusionary bedroom, had it not been set to the temple in the mountains scenery.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Poker Game**

Harry Potter and the others do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this, and I wouldn't be short on cash.

In this story, I'm making some assumptions on the value of the Galleon. Seeing as we are generally rather uninformed about prices in the wizarding world, I'm basing my assumptions on the end of book four. Harry gave Fred and George 1000 Galleons to open the joke shop. Assuming that the twins had some money of they own, and the money was enough to cover rent for at least a few months, as well as getting stock, inventory, and doing testing of various items, I'm assuming that 5000 Galleons is enough to buy a small house in the country, and 10,000 would get you a reasonably sized house.

A/n: Nowhere is Myrtle's surname written down. We know she's in Ravenclaw, but there's no surname, so I made one up. Just for you purists out there... :)

_The Poker Game – an HP shortfic by Enterprise1701d and Joshua The Evil Guy_

**Chapter Seven**

Harry had heard the 'alarm' the minute she'd stepped through the door and started down the stairs. He was awake enough to 'grant' her safe passage, though he was _sorely_ tempted to just let her try and get past the defenses he had put in place to defend his home, but she _was_ his friend. Still, it was Sunday, no classes today, and he had hoped that after yesterday she had finally given up on being his personal alarm clock. Instead here she is, now that she knows where to find him and has access, she comes right back down like it didn't even matter having to go down eight flights of stairs to get to him rather than just one.

At Luna's insistence last night, as they were... showing him their new sleeping attire, they had put the bedroom on Greek Temple, and he hadn't bothered to change it, and he was still too tired to do so now. So when Hermione Granger burst into his bedroom like she owned the place, she was caught by a very unexpected sight. Namely a live version of a scene from any harem-based story from _1001 Arabian Nights_, with Harry in the middle of the bed in his typical pajamas of a pair of boxer shorts, surrounded on all sides, and in one case even covered by scantily clad nubile young women, set to the background of marble pillars atop the Heavens.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" seemed to be Hermione's new greeting for him. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Rather than answer, Harry just sighed, looked over to an equally awake Luna, and spoke to his First, "Luna?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Ocean View, please." After all, she _was_ closer to the pillar than he was.

"Yes Harry."

With a wave of her wand, that he _really_ did not want to think about where she'd been keeping that, the Greek Temple around them blurred and faded out, to be replaced by the endless ocean view with gentle lapping waves. And it just so happened that Hermione, where she had stopped upon seeing the bed, was _just_ outside the safety zone of the View changes, and not expecting it, there was nothing she could do to stop her fall into the water.

Sputtering, she tread water until she realized what had happened and paddled her way back to the platform surrounding the bed, cursing Harry, with words not spells, the whole way.

"Sorry Hermione," he apologized lazily from where he lay on the bed, snuggling deeper into the water-filled mattress, "but it's the weekend, and I'm not getting up one minute before I absolutely have to. There are towels in the bathroom, and I'm sure you'll love the bathtub..."

"HARRY, YOU—!" Hermione stopped herself, seeing that she was waking the girls, and honestly she just could not look at them any longer without going into hysterics. "Fine!" she shouted, then turned to leave, the door appearing in front of her immediately, as though it were trying to make up for Harry's prank.

"Luna?" Harry said after the door disappeared and they were left on a water bed in the middle of the ocean.

"Yes Harry?"

"Remind me to put a lock on that door later on today," he yawned before going back to sleep.

"Yes Harry."

00000

Harry got up an hour later, finding that the girls had quite easily gone back to sleep after a Hermione-grade wakeup call. He slipped out of the bed, and walked to the living room. On one hand, he was feeling quite pleased with the successful prank, but on the other hand, he also felt badly for doing it to his friend. She _was_ a good friend, and she _had_ been working long hours, trying to help him with this whole contract mess.

It was also true, he admitted to himself, that he didn't exactly feel the same way anymore, and he wasn't exactly sure that he _wanted_ Hermione to find an answer anymore. But the fact remained, she had been working very hard for him, and she didn't deserve to be dropped into the water like that.

Of course... she should learn to relax more, too. Who wakes someone at six-thirty on a weekend?

The moment his hand grabbed the door handle to the bathroom, and he pushed down, he realized he was in deep trouble. The deep voice of the Master Wards reported coolly, _Priority Override of Door Lock Approved_.

Of course, all the girls were still asleep. Which meant that Hermione had taken him up on the offer. Which meant she was in the bathtub. With the door locked. Which he now just, unwittingly, opened.

All of that flashed through his mind before the door flung open completely.

"HARRY!!"

Closing his eyes, drawing a breath, he strode in, and angled for _his_ shower stall. "Never mind me, Hermione," he said, stepping after the safeguards, and starting to disrobe. "I'm just going to take a shower."

"I... I..." Hermione's outraged scream continued.

"You _are_ in my home. And this _is_ the only bathroom," Harry said, logically, as the sound of a running shower entered the bathroom. "Really, Hermione, you should learn to share."

"But... but..."

"Come now," Harry said as he stepped under the shower. "I saw nothing, you saw nothing, and there are two Fidelius charms in between us."

"Which means you can still look out!" Hermione screamed, a splashing noise telling Harry that she had been on her way out of the tub.

"I can?" he asked. He glanced in her direction. "Hm... now that you mention it... nice birthmark, Hermione."

"I don't have a birthmark!" Hermione growled, angrily.

"Well, now, if you keep hiding under all the foam, how am I supposed to know?" Harry shot back, enjoying the teasing banter. He cut off the shower, spread a generous amount of soap over his body, and turned it back on.

"Those women have corrupted you!" Hermione accused.

"I prefer to think of it as we set him free," Luna said, entering the bathroom. "Good morning, again, Hermione. Good morning, Harry. If you'd care to tell me where you are, I'd be able to scrub your back..."

"No, Luna," Harry replied, rather surprised at the blond's entry. He was sure he had locked the door...

"LUNA!" Hermione screamed.

Harry glanced in the direction of the tub, and hurriedly looked the other way, as Luna had shed the uniform known as 'Bed-Time Fun', and was now in the process of joining Hermione in the tub. "I am not looking, Luna, it's not going to work," he said.

"Drat, foiled again," Luna declared as she sunk into the hot soapy water.

Harry chuckled. "In fact, I'd rather you told me how you got the door open. And now that I think about it... I never told you the password to the Gryffindor Common Room, either..."

"I'll tell you," Luna said. "On one condition."

"Which is?"

"I want you to ravish me. In the most base, hormonally-driven orgy of debauchery our two minds can think of."

Harry swallowed, feeling incredibly uncomfortable all of a sudden. Switching the shower to 'freezing', he gasped. But the cold water did its job, and he switched it off. "Not right now, Luna," he managed to retort. "What would Hermione say?" he asked as he started to pull on some clothes behind the safety of the Fidelius-walls.

"She could join us," Luna declared. "That way, she wouldn't get a chance to complain."

Harry stepped from underneath his protection, fully clothed, and angled for the door, refusing to look at the two naked girls in the bathtub. He was sure Hermione's mouth was opening and closing like a fish's, unable to articulate a response. However, he didn't want to take any chances, and reached the door.

Finally, he just chuckled, shook his head, opened the door, and stepped through. "I don't want to know anymore," he said as the door closed behind him.

As he entered the living room, he nodded a good morning to Pansy and Tracey, sitting together in front of the fire, and turned to walk to the exercise room.

"How _did_ Luna get in?" he asked, stopping.

"We don't know. She just... opened the door. And when we tried, it wouldn't budge," Pansy replied, Tracey nodding.

"Pansy, I'm shocked," Harry declared theatrically. "I didn't think you'd go for the full throw-yourself-at-Harry plan. Even if it didn't work."

Pansy flushed slightly.

"Hey, does that mean you weren't shocked about me?" Tracey asked.

"Not in the least, Trace," Harry said, grinning, before chuckling, and resuming towards the exercise room. "Not in the least."

"I should feel insulted," he heard Tracey mutter from behind him, and he laughed out loud as he closed the door. Shedding his clothes once more, he stepped into a fresh linen exercise suit, and drew a breath. The flimsy cloth gave him a free range of motion that was unrivaled, and he enjoyed the freedom greatly.

Stepping into the illusion chamber, he closed it behind him and stepped to the center. "Identify."

The floor around him lit up in various circles and color, and Harry nodded. He had fully recharged. Canceling the Identify, he walked to the far wall, and swiped his wand. A door blurred into existence, and he walked through it, fully aware that, to anyone in the illusion chamber, the door would vanish right behind him. He needed some time to himself, and clearing some more of the Chamber of Secrets was just what the doctor ordered.

He looked for a moment at the remains of the Basilisk. Its skin, once gorgeously shining, was now a dull brown and green, hanging in long strips of half-decaying matter from the skeletal remains of the giant serpent.

"Thank you, Fawkes," Harry said out loud to the phoenix that had once saved his life by pecking out the eyes that produced the petrifying glare of the huge beast. Now that he thought about it, there was something else that saved his life.

No sooner had he thought about the Sword of Gryffindor than he felt something settle next to him on the ground. Glancing down, he grinned.

Two minutes later, a linen-clad Harry Potter had the Sword of Gryffindor tied in a sheath on his back. "Truly, Headmaster, you gave me more power with that one permission slip than you ever thought possible," Harry declared to the still and empty air. Before, it had chilled and scared him. Now, it was merely a potentially creepy place, and he didn't let the gloomy atmosphere bother him any more. He was here for some stress-relief, and, at the same time, expand his living quarters.

Seeing how much the girls enjoyed the bathtub, he decided on adding a small pool to the place, adding maybe some slides, a hot tub, and some other things, as he thought them up. That was usually how things went... once he thought on one thing, another followed, and soon, he had something that was twice as large, thrice as difficult, and way more impressive than he thought it would be.

Closing his eyes, and focusing, he removed first the remains of the Basilisk. He didn't need its remains stinking up his pool, plus, it would scare the heck out of Ginny. The rest of the room would follow next, and Harry brought up his vision of the expanse he would need to fill. Opening his eyes, he brought the vision and the reality together, whispering the Egyptian Transformation Spells under his breath.

He focused on the spell, the vision, the reality. His focus was intense and absolute, not a single detail allowed to enter or leave, lest he lose control over the spell. While he could allow himself to feel fear, he couldn't allow himself to feel elation as the room started to buckle, blur, and warp. The spells rolled off his lips, and continued to do so as the magic filled the room around him.

Suddenly, something seemed to snap, the blurring halted, before finally stopping, a bright golden dot pulsing angrily to Harry's left. The spells continued to roll off his lips as he turned slowly, and aimed his wand at the offending spot.

The ward, put in place by Slytherin himself, and added and expanded upon by one Tom Riddle who would later become known as Lord Voldemort, was stronger than anything Harry had ever encountered, and the fight against it was sapping his strength rapidly. The Transformation Spell he was using was ill-suited to battle it, but, as with all Egyptian Magics, Harry had no further course of action. Once he committed himself to the transformation of the room, there was nothing else he _could_ do.

He needed to transform the room, and as such, he kept his vision before his mind's eye. Pouring power into the spell, he felt the magic rumble and shake around him. Roaring in his ears, dancing before his eyes, Harry was deaf and blind to his surroundings, to the tornado of power that raged around him, pulsing against the ancient walls, making the very foundations of Hogwarts tremor as he fought a ward with a transformation spell, caught in a vicious loop of his own fault.

The next pulse made the ward tremor and shimmer, while sending another shock through the structures above and aside.

00000

"What's happening?" Hermione asked, angrily.

"Harry went into the illusion chamber, then out the back," Pansy said. "He's doing something to the Chamber of Secrets, we guess," she added, pointing to herself and Tracey.

"He is probably pushing himself," Luna said, sitting down with Pansy and Tracey, soon joined by the rest of the girls, while Hermione paced angrily.

"I could go and check," Myrtle offered, sticking her head through the ceiling. "I can feel Harry's magic pulsing and straining. And it's making my bathroom rattle."

"Thanks, Myrtle!" Hermione said before anyone else could say something. The ghost girl nodded, retracted her head, and floated into the Chamber of Secrets. Harry was her friend, after all, and friends looked out for each other, didn't they?

Myrtle emerged into the Chamber behind Harry. Feeling him focus on an unidentified spot on the wall in front of him, she frowned, wondering what he was doing there. Floating up, she looked at the same spot, and saw nothing.

The magic wind that swept up dust and debris had no effect on her ghostly form, and Myrtle remained quiet while Harry strained against... whatever it was. It seemed important, though, and Myrtle remained quiet.

Suddenly, he seemed to relax, and he blinked, slowly, once, before starting to turn and look around, still whispering under his breath. Thinking he was speaking to himself, Myrtle lowered herself. "Hi Harry!"

00000

Harry let out his breath and closed his eyes against the burn the continuous staring had caused. He opened them once more, and resumed his spell. Forcing himself to forget about the now-vanquished ward, and forcing himself to think instead of the Chamber, he had no idea there was someone else in the room with him.

Suddenly, the ghostly face of Moaning Myrtle appeared before him. "Hi Harry!"

His focus shattered, and for one second... _one second_... he focused on the girl. "_Myrtle?_"

The magic he was wreaking on the room shattered. The focus of his spell had broken, and shifted to a new target. His eyes went wide, and he screamed, right before the magic seemed to be sucked out of him.

A second scream he still heard, even though the world had dimmed to darkness, and the falling sensation overwhelmed him. It stopped soon after, and he felt no pain while he drifted off, the darkness covering him like a blanket, keeping out pain and sound and sight and sensation.

If this was death, it wasn't so bad, he decided, right before even unconscious thought halted.

00000

Myrtle groaned. Her body _hurt_. She blinked. "Pain," she wondered. "I haven't felt pain since I died..." Her voice trailed off as she stared at her hand. It was colored. _Colored like a human hand_.

She tapped the ground. Solid. She stood up, and tried to float away. She didn't float. "What's happened to me?" she wondered. "Harry? What did you do to me?" Spinning around, she saw him on the floor, in a crumpled heap, the look of surprise still on his face.

"Harry!" she squealed, rushing to him, falling to her knees, and whimpering loudly as that _hurt_, too. "Harry?" she asked, pushing and prodding him. He didn't budge. "Harry?" Still no response.

She tried to move him, but he was too heavy. It felt strange, to be able to touch him. He felt warm. And soft. And solid. How could he be solid?

She looked at her hands again. Still looking alive. She felt like crying. In itself, it felt strange... she hadn't _really_ cried since before she died. And now Harry was out cold, and she couldn't help him. But she might be able to _get_ help!

Standing up, she raced to the door leading to the living quarters. With a solid _thunk_ she bounced off it. Falling flat on her butt, she screamed with pain. _Pain again_? She wondered a second later, forgetting all about the unwelcome sensation. _And why can't I move through the door?_

Standing up again, she tried the handle. It moved. The door opened. She looked at Harry, realizing that the door was hidden on the other side, and she'd never be able to get back here if she couldn't move through solid walls.

Spotting his wand, a grin plastered itself on her face. If she were solid, unable to move through walls, able to touch, and feel, maybe she was able to do magic, too? Grabbing the object, she waved it around. It felt strange to her... after all, she hadn't picked up a wand in half a century.

"What was it again?" she wondered, waving the thing around experimentally. "Oh, yeah! _Levi Corpus!_" The solid swish and flick was executed with the flawless perfection that came with being a former Ravenclaw. Harry's body levitated perfectly behind her, and with a smug smile on her face, she moved him inside.

00000

Harry groaned, a shot of pain lancing through him. It ebbed away rather quickly, and he sighed, slowly feeling his consciousness ascend the staircase to wakefulness. As he became aware of his surroundings, he realized he was back in bed, and something soft and warm was lying on his chest.

He opened his eyes, blinking furiously against the light, before looking down, and smiling softly. Tucked underneath one arm, her head on his chest, was Gabrielle. "Hey," he croaked.

"_Sacre bleu_! Harry!" the part-Veela practically screamed at him. "I'm so glad to see you're awake again! We were so worried about you when Myrtle carried you in!"

He blinked again. "I'm still sleeping," he muttered. "Because I most distinctly remember Myrtle being a ghost."

Gabrielle was on her feet by now, practically bouncing up and down. "Come on, Harry!" she shouted, dragging at his hands. Groaning, he let the little blond terror 'woman-handle' him out of the bed, and to his feet. He swayed slightly, but faster than he could have thought, she was under one of his arms, dropping it over her shoulder. "Just lean on me, Harry," she said, softly, tenderly.

He smiled slightly at her, and realized there was a time he would have balked at accepting help. But now, he just shuffled to the living room, leaning on the support given to him by Gabrielle. "_Ohé _everyone! He's awake!" the part-Veela crowed as they opened the living room door.

At once, Harry found himself surrounded by relieved, giddy, smiling, laughing, and giggling girls. "Hey everyone, sorry to worry you," he said, softly, not feeling up to having the strength to shout. But somehow, they heard him, and the noise levels reduced fast as Gabrielle lowered him onto a couch. There was a surprising amount of strength in that lithe body of hers!

At once, she was seated at his side, and curled up like a lazy cat, her head on his chest once more. He smiled fondly at her, and dropped an arm around her. The space on his other side wasn't vacant for long. This time, it was Luna who had the fortune of being the fastest one there. He laughed at the sight of the two blonds curled against him.

"So, what happened, Harry?" Hermione demanded.

Harry blinked. Except for Hermione, there seemed to be more girls here than he remembered. His brain hadn't fully climbed the staircase to wakefulness yet... his gaze traveled over the girls. _Gabby, check. Luna, check. Susan, check. Cho, check. Ginny, check. Hermione, check. Myrtle, check. Tracey, check... _ he blinked. "Myrtle?"

"Hello Harry," Myrtle said, softly.

He looked at Gabrielle. "You weren't kidding when you said Myrtle carried me in."

The small blond shook her head, and grinned at him.

"What happened?" he asked everyone in general, and Myrtle in particular.

"That's what _I_ want to know!" Hermione screamed.

"I told you, I don't know anything!" Myrtle wailed.

"Last thing I remember, I was fighting that blasted ward..." Harry said, frowning in concentration. "I beat it, was going back... oh, no." He went pale. _Very_ pale.

"Harry?" Gabrielle asked, her head on his chest enabling her to hear his heart rate going haywire.

"What happened to Myrtle, Harry?" Luna asked. "I can guess, but I'd rather you confirmed it."

"She interrupted my spell," he said, quietly, before looking at Myrtle. "As I explained to the others... Egyptian Magic is all about focus, losing focus is disastrous. In this case... I was using a transformation spell. When you interrupted, my focus slipped, from the room, to you. I guess... I guess it latched on to my emotions."

Myrtle frowned. "What do you mean?"

Harry swallowed, and looked at the ground. "I couldn't help it... each time I see you... I always think about how sad it was that you died..." He swallowed, staring hard at the ground now. "And, how much I wish there were something I could do to help you."

"I guess it helped," Luna said with a quip. "Because, it very much seems Myrtle lives."

Harry heard nothing from Myrtle, and drew a breath. Gathering all his courage, he looked up at her, not knowing what to expect. He found her looking at him with shock on her face.

"You... you actually wished you could help me?" she finally asked. He nodded.

"You're my friend, Myrtle. Of course I wondered, and wished... but... but I..."

Gabrielle and Luna let go of him. The next moment, Myrtle was around his neck. Underneath the wails and moans, he most definitely heard some form of 'thank you', repeated over and over. His arms locked around her on automatic, and he hugged her close.

"I'm glad you're not mad at me," he whispered.

"_Mad!?_" Myrtle screamed. "You gave me back my _life_! How could I be _mad_!"

"Because he broke every rule? Not to mention the laws of magic! The dead can't be brought back!" Hermione yelled.

"Sure they can," Luna said, pointing to Myrtle. "And Harry proved it."

"But... but... the books..."

"I guess the books are wrong," Pansy muttered, dryly.

Hermione fixed the Slytherin with a glare. "The laws of magic—"

"Wrong, too," Tracey interrupted.

"Yup," Daphne added. "There's only one law... and that law is that there's nothing impossible when you're Harry Potter."

"Girls!" Harry moaned. "Please..."

"You keep deflating your own ego, Harry," Susan said, waggling her finger. "It's our chosen duty to make sure you know your own value!"

"You brought Myrtle back from the dead, have some pride," Cho muttered, angrily.

Harry looked at Myrtle, who was now _beaming_ at him, even though her face looked blotched and red from crying. He smiled at her. "Yes, dear," he muttered. The girls laughed.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Hermione screeched. Well, all the girls laughed, except for Hermione. "You're in huge trouble! What if the Ministry hears of this? Bringing back the dead, really! Honestly, Harry what were you thinking?"

Harry shrugged. "I was trying to redecorate the Chamber of Secrets. And the Ministry can go to hell."

Hermione spluttered, not having expected such a casual dismissal of the lawful government of Wizarding Britain. "But... but..."

"So I brought Myrtle back from the dead..." Harry's voice trailed off. "I wonder if I could bring back Sirius. And Mom and Dad... and Cedric..." He rubbed his chin.

"SEE!?" Hermione screamed. "Power Corrupts, Harry! You can't go round, bringing everyone back from the dead!"

"Maybe you need a soul," Luna said. "Myrtle, as a ghost, was still around. It merely took a new body to bring her back. Summoning a soul from the afterlife might be a tad more difficult."

Harry shrugged. "I'm still gonna try."

"And die?" Luna asked. This brought Harry up short.

"What?" he asked.

"You were nastily exhausted when Myrtle brought you in," Pansy said, finally revealing how worried they'd all been. Around them, the other girls all had a look of immense relief on their faces, only Hermione's was mixed up with lingering worry and anger over how her friend had nearly killed himself all over again.

"Summoning a body _and_ a soul might kill you," Luna added.

"But I still have to try," Harry said, stubbornly.

"At least think about it," Cho said, cautioning him. "We don't want you to leave us alone so soon."

Hearing the plea from the Ravenclaw Head Girl brought Harry up short. How _does_ one reply to such a plea?

He dropped silent then. These girls were most certainly smarter than him... he was straightforward, rush in and think later type of person. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to listen to them.

The silence was broken when Darryn came in, carrying a think scroll in its talons, and landing on the coffee table. Every one of the girls that approached it, hurriedly retracted their hands as the pitch-black bird made to peck at them.

Getting the point, Harry shifted the still sniffling Myrtle next to him on the couch rather than on top of him, and took the scroll. He blinked.

"Okay, that's unexpected," he muttered.

"What? What does it say?" Hermione asked, her curiosity going into overdrive.

Harry sighed, closed the scroll, and slammed his head against the coffee table. _Hard_.

"Let me guess," Luna said. "Because you resurrected Myrtle, she owes you a Life Debt."

Harry shook his head, sighed, and opened the scroll. "_Magister_ Harry James Potter. Today at ten-thirty-five Ante Meridiem, we have detected that you performed a class-two act of Pure Necromancy, and have given physical body to a spirit that remained on the mortal plane. This act, only second to a full resurrection ritual, has classified you for the title, _Magister_, within the ranks of Necromancy. The ancient laws that govern this elitist, secretive, and powerful circle have not been invoked since the demise of Atlantis, in seven-hundred-fifty BC.

"Because of this, it took us this long to contact you. For this, we, the Ministry of Magic, plead your forgiveness, as we were unaware of the protocols set in motion by this act. You, Lord and Baron Harry James Potter, are now Magister Potter, and may address yourself as such, effective immediately.

"Protocol also dictates that we must never interrupt you, and may only contact you either by non-priority owl, or address you when in public. This for our own safety as well as yours. We will, of course, heed these ancient protocols.

"As a further note, the Laws of Necromancy have brought to our attention that the resurrected person is, in effect, the person he or she was before their death. For this, we have reinstated Miss Myrtle Higgs into our records. Upon your approval, we will have her join in to the class she was last frequenting when her unfortunate demise passed -Ravenclaw House, Fifth Year.

"Also, she has now officially been entered into our records as owing you a large Life Debt. This Life Debt post-dates the date of the introduction of the Life Debt Servitude Act, and can thus not be considered under it.

"However, the final protocol set in motion by the Laws of Necromancy state that the resurrector, in this case you, Magister Potter, must be compensated for this act, either by a friend or family members, or by the resurrected person herself. As Miss Myrtle Higgs has no living relatives upon which this price can be levied, this scroll will also act as a magical contract between yourself and Miss Myrtle Higgs. She is now, magically, bound to servitude under you until the date her debt is repaid. Of course, you are free to set a price upon this act as you so choose.

"Your sincerely,

"Mathilda Bagshot, Strange and Unusual Magic Office."

He sighed, and looked at Myrtle. "Myrtle? Could you pass me the-"

"Not on my life, Potter!"

In hindsight, he should have expect the flat-out refusal and the interruption. But then again, hindsight was always 20/20. He sighed, dropped his face in his hands, and muttered, "Why?"

"I have no relatives, Harry. And I died in the 1940's... and even then, I had no friends. The people I knew then are half a century older now. I don't know anything about the modern life, and I don't want to be alone. I like you, and you already think of me as a friend, so I want to stay."

Harry didn't answer, and just smacked his head against the coffee table again.

00000

"This is getting bloody ridiculous," Ron shouted from his position far down the table. It was dinner time, and he was now displaced by yet another addition to Harry's growing family of servants, even further, physically speaking, from his friend during a meal than since Fourth Year when he'd been a prat about the whole Triwizard Tournament scam. "So you're not just going to own half of Magic-Britain, you're going to be bringing the ghosts back to life to fill in for the other half too?!"

"Ronald, shut up!" Hermione snapped. She was going over the scroll from the Ministry with Tracey and Daphne on either side of her, analyzing every single detail of it that she could.

For this meal, since they'd skipped on Breakfast and because of Harry passing out after resurrecting Myrtle they'd also missed Lunch, Harry had Tonks on his left and Gabrielle on his right. Myrtle, still getting used to being alive, was being helped in learning how to eat, among other things, all over again, with help from Susan, Ginny and Cho. Although she had called dibs on the next meal for sitting next to Harry.

"What? What I'd say?" Ron responded to Hermione's angry retort.

"It's nothing mate," Harry assured his friend, not wanting to spread the worry for his well-being that had been going around lately.

Although to be perfectly honest, he shouldn't have been surprised. Here he was going on and on about being worried over the well-being of those he was responsible for, and when he starts to get a bit too reckless and winds up passed out for most of the day, it's only natural for those closest to him be just as worried. Each was handling it in their own way, he noticed, with Tonks giving him a once over and then a nod, like she'd expected nothing less. Must come from being an Auror, he mused.

Gabrielle, on the other hand, had not left his side since he'd woken up, and clung to him whenever she could get away with it, like an over-affectionate kitten. Hermione, par for the course given their history, was on the verge of hysterics and was only able to keep them back by focusing her mind on an academic, or similar, pursuit. Pansy kept giving him looks, tears filling her eyes every now and again, like she was making sure he wasn't going to disappear on them all of a sudden. Daphne seemed to go between Hermione's reaction and Pansy's, as she kept giving him the same looks, but afterwards was even more focused than the Smart One of the Gryffindor Trio.

Tracey and Luna, on the other end of the spectrum, seemed to have accepted that as long as he was breathing and keeping them from taking advantage of the use of the body slave subsections of their contracts, he was all right and if he wasn't worried, then they wouldn't be worried either. Ginny, on the other hand, was getting almost as clingy as Gabrielle was, and when she was unable to be close to him, like now, she tended to hug herself a lot, like she had a chill or something. Susan and Cho were so focused on acclimating Myrtle back to being alive that Harry was sure they were using that as the same excuse Hermione did for not going into hysterics. And Myrtle herself? Well, she was clearly still in shock, and it was through her efforts that he was still in good health as it was, so he had little to worry about there.

Overall, Harry couldn't see a problem, but he knew from his previous week's experience that as he did with the stress of having another person to be responsible for, the girls would all need an outlet for the mounting tension that his collapse had caused. He resolved to have their first training session tonight, in the 'Holosuite' as he'd labeled it in his mind, after his third favorite TV show during the summers when he could watch it. Aside from the stress relief, it would allow them to get started early on self-defense, a concern that was paramount to Harry's own stress relief.

For the present, though, Harry had to agree with Ron, the whole thing was going from nightmarish and horrifying, straight to just plain ridiculous! Besides, he missed talking with his best friends, and except for the mornings that she woke them up, he'd hardly seen Hermione or Ron for the past week, save for meal times. Next meal, he resolved to do something about that. Meanwhile, he had reparations to be made.

"Oi, Ron, Hermione?" he spoke suddenly, drawing their attention. "After Dinner, here, I'm having our first DA meeting down in the Chamber. If you'd like to come, you're welcome to. Aside from the obvious benefits, it'd be nice to have my two best friends still be in my life, y'know?"

Ron winced, while Hermione grew even more teary-eyed than before.

"I'd love to mate, and I mean that," Ron had to half-shout with the distance between them. "It's just... well, Lav and I've sort of have this... well, kind of a date, and well..."

Harry held up his hand with a smile, and a smidgen of disappointment. "Say no more. If _anything_, I understand about disappointing a lady. Maybe next time?" Ron nodded. "Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Of course, I'll be there!" she snapped, like she was affronted that he would think anything else. Probably didn't hurt that him offering the olive branch, so to speak, was just as much a relief for her as seeing him still alive and all that.

"Great. Well, seeing as I just finished my meal, and I've already filled my girl quota for the day," he paused as they giggled at his ill-in-taste-joke, "I'll head on back down there and get things ready. I'll expect you all by Nine, all right?" They nodded and just before he was about to leave, he paused, and said aloud, "Oh, almost forgot. Gabrielle, Daphne, Pansy, Tracey, and anybody else that wants to come along, please follow me." Then he turned up the aisle and walked resolutely towards the Headmaster's position at the Head Table.

As he stood before Professor Dumbledore with his servants/slaves flanking him on either side and just behind, the entire hall went deathly still. Thus, it was well-heard as he said to the old wizard, "Headmaster, it pains me to say this, but your time is up. What is your decision?"

Professor Dumbledore sighed, then turned to Professor McGonagall and nodded his head. She quickly got up and left through a side-exit for the teachers.

"Magister Potter, I will not lie to you and say that I hoped after all that happened to, and for you today, that you would simply be too exhausted to recall aforementioned deadline. Nevertheless, I have... looked into the matter myself, despite any objections raised for it," he cast a side-long glance at a sallow and pale Professor Snape, "and I cannot in good conscience continue to turn a blind eye towards certain activities within my school. For this, at the... shall we call it _prompting_?... of your request, I will agree to your petition to have any member of the student body that requires it, to be re-sorted into a different House."

Normally, one would expect mass-outrage and tremendous shouting at the sight of _the_ Professor Dumbledore bowing to the whims of a 6th Year student, no matter that said student was Harry Potter or not, and especially on the matter of a school tradition that had been in effect since before the school _was_ the school! Instead, dead silence. Nobody moved, nobody said a thing, nobody even shuffled a little to scratch an itch even. It was like waiting for the start of something, whether it be a war, an explosion, or a birth. The atmosphere was quite intense.

Thankfully, it was broken when Professor McGonagall re-entered the Great Hall, carrying a familiar stool, and an even more familiar old hat. An old hat that wasn't too pleased for the reason it was being called forth.

"Hmph, not my fault the quality of students went down. Not my fault one went bad and started killing. Not my fault a bunch of idiots followed instead of leading. I just put them in the Houses, that's my job, that's all I do. Not my fault the first Magister in ten ages decides to uproot all Hogwarts tradition," the Sorting Hat was mumbling to itself.

Harry managed to contain his blush while he gestured and said, "Gabby, I think you should go first. Get the easy one out of the way."

The young French half-Veela curtsied to her master, and then to the Hat before slipping onto the stool and gently placing the Sorting Hat onto her head. She sat there in silence for approximately five minutes before the Hat finally yelled out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" She gracefully moved to her feet and curtsied to the Hat once more, yet instead of walking over to the cheering Hufflepuff table, she moved back to her place just behind and beside Harry. Some were confused, but then the majority of Hufflepuff seemed to understand all at once and most nodded their support to the new First Year and gave her signs of approval for her displayed loyalty.

"Daphne," Harry gestured, with some reluctance on his own part. If there was any other way, he would've done it, but he couldn't see it if it was there.

Just as the Sixth Year soon-to-be-ex-Slytherin slid onto the chair, a lone Third Year Slytherin stood up and shouted out, "Hey! Hold up!"

"Sit _down_ Mr. Vandevelde!" Professor Snape hissed, the sound extra creepy in the otherwise silent Great Hall.

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape," the Third Year spoke back to his Head of House, "but I can't do that, as I want to take up the Headmaster's offer too!"

"What?" practically everybody at the front of the Hall exclaimed, from all the teachers, Harry, even the Sorting Hat.

"He said that he was going to allow any member of the student body the opportunity to be re-Sorted if the student requires it. Well... I require it, and I make my own request to be re-Sorted!"

"Might I ask, Mr. Vandevelde," Professor Dumbledore stood to address the Slytherin Third Year, "why it is you believe that you require to be re-Sorted? And yes, I am not denying your claim, and you quoted me most effectively, but I still require the evidence that you _need_ to be re-Sorted. Harry's servants, just by being his servants require it for their protection. Yet you most certainly are not one of Harry's servants, and I see no need for the added protection."

"Well wake up and open your eyes!" another student at Slytherin table stood up and shouted. She was a burly Sixth Year, one that the three standing with Harry at the front recognized as being in their dorm, but couldn't recall the name of. "I was there the day Potter put Malfoy in the Hospital wing, and an hour before Malfoy went out _looking_ for that fight, he was tearing up the Slytherin Common Room! All the First Years were cowering in their dorms for the next fortnight, all because they thought one of their own House, one of the Upperclassman was going to _kill them or worse_!"

"First Years weren't the only ones scared that night!" a brave Second Year Slytherin got to his feet.

"I want to be re-Sorted too!" another cried. "Me too!" and another. "Hell, I'm jumping ship while the jumping 's good!" more and more cried out.

"If the quality of Slytherin House has sunk so low to let bigots and _bloody idiots_ like Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle into it, then I'm not bothering with it any longer! I'll take being a Gryffindor over being put together with those three for a single moment longer!" one of the Slytherin Prefects practically screamed.

Before it was all over, nearly three-quarters of Slytherin were up in arms, begging to be re-Sorted, while the remainder sat and tried to glare and intimidate them into sitting down and shutting up. Since every single one of those still sitting were those suspected of being or were related to future Death Eaters, they were very quickly identified and separated from the rest. Finally, the Hall was quiet once more when the Hat, still in Professor McGonagall's hands over Daphne's head, suddenly shouted out, "THAT DOES IT! I am **NOT** about to re-Sort an _entire_ House! Dumbledore, in all my years, I've never witnessed such a scene! Never!"

"I Sorted each and every last one of you and I put you where you belong, there's no changing that now! Just because a few rotten eggs slipped through _your_ cracks, doesn't mean a thing on me! You don't like the way Slytherin is being portrayed? You don't like the way things are? Well, CHANGE THEM! You're supposed to be the Cunning and Street-Smart Lot, aren't you! I just put you where you belong, and while I'm glad I got to Sort a once-Beaubaxton girl into Hogwarts, I _REFUSE_ to participate in this any longer! You put me on the girl's head, she's going right back to Slytherin, so don't waste mine, or your time for one minute longer. GOOD DAY!" With that, Fawkes suddenly flamed in, grabbed the Sorting Hat from Professor McGonagall's hands, and then both flamed out together.

"Well, that's not what I was expecting," Harry admitted, feeling quite the tool now.

Most of the Slytherins were sitting down now, dejected, but the Headmaster quickly stopped them with his next actions. With a wave of his wand, in a manner few ever got to witness from the Conqueror of Grindelwald, the Slytherin House Table was transfigured, splitting in two, and then morphing around and moving those still sitting at it, to a much smaller table that was much practically in front of the Head Table, while the rest was still the same basic table, but only three-quarters of its once symmetrical length. At the smaller table were the remainder of Slytherin House, those that every single person in the Great Hall could recognize as being Death Eater material, in one way or another.

"Students, you may resume your meal," Dumbledore spoke with authority. "As for classes... come the morrow, class schedules will remain the same, and the Ladies Greengrass, Parkinson, and Davies will return to their normal classes with the rest of their House, provided their education continues at all." Harry, about to protest, closed his mouth at that last statement. He wanted them safe, but he wasn't about to pull them out of school to do it.

"As for our... content group of Slytherin patriots," Dumbledore glared down at the small table in front of him. They all cringed and wilted under his gaze, some even losing control of bodily functions. "I think it is long past time you returned to your dormitories, yes? You have a very busy schedule ahead of you. Professor Snape?" The Potions Master came forward and only those directly around the Headmaster could hear him whisper to the Slytherin House Head, "Lock them in their dorms, do not allow them to leave, for _any_ reason, Severus. Also, put out the fire, close all the windows, and strip them of any means of communication with anyone outside the dungeon. I will be scheduling... private tutoring for all of them in the coming weeks."

"But Headmaster," Professor McGonagall hissed, even as Snape went off to escort the Death Eaters in training away, "where will the other Slytherins sleep? You can't place a quarter of an entire House under... well, house-arrest and then tell the others to go into the same house, can you?"

"Sir, if I may?" Harry stepped forward, with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "In reviewing exactly what has been... restricted over the years here at Hogwarts, I came across a mentioning of the 'Restricted VIP Dormitories' based in the South Tower?"

"Ah, yes, I recall it as well. Restricted for use of visiting foreign dignitaries or exchange students. It will be... quite a challenge for the House Elves to have it ready in time for curfew. I will personally escort the remainder of Slytherin House to their new temporary dorms, Harry. Of course, Ladies, you'll most likely be staying with your master in his new residence. However, you will be expected in your same classes tomorrow. Although, I do trust that it should no longer be a problem, Harry?"

He looked around, saw that while what was left of Slytherin House still held those that propagated in the famous rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses for centuries, not a single one was left that he would believe capable of committing assault on any of his Girls. All of those that would've, would no longer be seen outside of the Slytherin dorms anyway. Still...

Harry sighed, and nodded at the Headmaster. "We'll see. If there is a single incident, or even a rumor of one... I'm going to request that I take my NEWTs this year so I can finish my servants' education myself." Dumbledore, while shocked, simply nodded his head and allowed Harry to leave.

Back at the table, Harry made sure each of those that had followed him up sat down before announcing to all of them, "I'm going back to the Chamber. I have a bit more stress to work off suddenly. No," he stopped them from getting up, Luna especially, "finish eating, gather up your strength, and make sure Myrtle's not going to die from malnutrition the day after she's been brought back to life. I'll expect to see you all no earlier than Nine, all right?"

Reluctantly, they all agreed, and Harry left, keeping an eye out for any "stragglers" that might not have followed Snape so willingly to their new dungeon home, which suddenly made a lot more since, with the dungeon being used as it was originally intended. Thankfully, he didn't have far to go to get to Myr... the First Floor Loo and then down the stairs to the once Chamber of Secrets, and from there to Illusion Chamber with a brief stopover in the Locker room.

Once down there, Harry did a quick Identify, just to see where he stood on how much he could teach the girls tonight, and was shocked when the levels that he'd seen just this morning were almost _three times_ as big and bright as they'd been before! Well, actually, the green and the yellow were only twice as large, but the red and the brown...! The red itself was so bright and vivid that he was briefly reminded of morning roses, and it took up most of the area that had been set aside for detection. But the brown was the real shocker, as his energy reserves, which should've still been low from bringing a ghost back to life, were completely filled and again over three times the amount that he'd come to expect of himself.

Suddenly, he grinned. "Well, I've got the time," he muttered to himself, and with the ward down it should only take a few minutes. He quickly walked back into the proper Chamber of Secrets, and within fifteen minutes had completed the pool and spa portion of his new living arrangements. Fifteen minutes after that, all the girls, Hermione included, stepped out of the locker room dressed in the illusion suits and ready for dueling.

00000

Almost four solid hours of work in spell casting, defense, and dueling, everybody was completely exhausted, as the Identify clearly marked for each of them after Harry called for them to check their levels. Even he was near empty all over again, and Hermione was practically asleep on her feet. Nevertheless, it was still a productive four hours of work, as Harry had no doubt that every single one of them, even Gabby, could pass their NEWT DADA Exam with flying colors! The only thing they really had to work on was their endurance, accuracy, and spell-strength, as he made sure the knowledge base was there before they even got started on the practical.

Harry left first, changing very quickly into his normal clothes, and then allowed the girls to come in after him so they too could change, while he went into the living room to relax a bit. Although, he had to admit, he didn't expect them all to come out in the humiliating 'Private' Uniform set, Hermione blushing just as fiercely as any of them, despite being in her own set of normal clothes.

"Don't look at me," he protested the moment his friend's gaze rested upon him, "They're the ones that came up with this whole damn uniform business, and _they_ are the ones that designed and crafted them. I'd be perfectly happy if they were here in school robes as anything, but it's their choice to wear these things. Same with what you saw them wearing this morning, by the way."

"I see," was all the tight-lipped Hermione could say, looking _disturbingly_ similar to Professor McGonagall when she was angry.

"Well, as fun as getting called a pervert by one of my best friends is," Harry groaned as he got back to his feet, "I'm going to take a quick shower, ALONE, and then hit the sack, all right?"

"I think I will enjoy a bath myself," Tracey smirked as she, Luna, Ginny, and Gabby all got to their feet to follow after him into the bathroom.

"Nothing stopping you, but I'm keeping my eyes closed from the moment I enter the bathroom, so you're wasting your time there," Harry stubbornly refused their innuendos. They didn't seem too broken up about it, especially not when every single one of the others decided to follow along. Hermione, not really paying attention, and too tired to notice, wound up getting dragged along in the shuffle, and before she even knew it, she was naked in the tub with ten other nubile and equally naked young women, while Harry was just a few meters away with only a ward between them. The warm water and cleansing woke her up enough to worry and trust that Harry was keeping his promise and had his eyes shut, since she couldn't exactly check herself to confirm it.

Fortunately, or unfortunately in the Lusty Ones position, everybody was just as exhausted as the resident brainiac and it was all they could do just to clean themselves, let alone try any hanky-panky or put on any kind of a show for Harry to get him to look. Thankfully, for Hermione's nerves, Harry came out after only five minutes, his eyes covered by both hands, and his head turned fully away as he slipped from the invisible shower stall to the door and was gone before anybody could do or say anything.

Afterwards, Hermione was making to put back on her clothes, when she discovered that she couldn't find them! Annoyed, she temporarily settled for a bathrobe, one of those fully-covering terry cloth ones, and huffed out after Luna and the others, who were getting dressed back in those _ridiculous_ maid uniforms! Honestly, what were they thinking?

"Luna! Where are my clothes?" she demanded once they were out of the bathroom.

"The House Elves took them to be cleaned," came the surprisingly lucid response. "We negotiated their access, so they can clean this area and perform all their main functions, as they do in the rest of the castle. They were quite perturbed at how even an inch of this place went so many years without cleaning."

"When did you do this?" Hermione asked, surprised and curious.

"Shortly after Harry destroyed the ward hiding this place from their detection," Luna explained. "As Harry's First, it was my duty to see that his property is well taken care of, and negotiating the Hogwarts Elves to cleaning our living area, cleaning our clothes, and maintaining the upkeep of all of it fell under that category, so it was my honor to serve. Any clothes that are not a uniform, are immediately taken to be washed, cleaned, and returned to it's original place, same as with any other House or Common Room. Of course with the matter of clothes, there runs the risk of them accidentally freeing themselves, which they do not want. So, they adjusted their cleaning charms accordingly, and all clothing is immediately trans-located to the washing room with all the other wash. In short, Hermione, your clothing disappeared the moment you took it off and it hit the floor."

"SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO WEAR!?" she screamed suddenly. "I CAN'T GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO GRYFFINDOR TOWER IN NOTHING BUT A BATHROBE!!"

"You could always wear one of these," Myrtle teasingly suggested as she switched the Private uniform to a blue-themed Bedroom Fun uniform.

Before the bushy-haired Gryffindor could even open her mouth to respond to that, a piercing shout silenced them instantly. Mostly because of the source.

"NO! _Absolutely NOT_!!" Luna screamed, getting up and looking even more menacing than when she was 'laying down the law.'

"Those are sacred _uniforms_! Dedicated and solely for the use of those in service to the Potter Family, and to Lord Harry Potter himself! They cannot be lent out like common clothes, and they will not be worn by anyone _but_ a servant, or slave, of his Lord Potter! _IS THAT __**UNDERSTOOD**_?!"

"Yes ma'am," everybody squeaked.

And like a switch being thrown, Luna was suddenly back to her 'not-all-together-there' attitude as she said, "If, Hermione were to offer herself with a magically binding contract to become Lord Potter's servant or slave, that would be something entirely different though."

"Uh... no thank you," Hermione whimpered, instead working on transfiguring a couple of towels or curtains into decent pajamas for her to wear. She would've just done her robe, but she wasn't fully certain that she would be able to, since everything in this place had been created by Harry with Egyptian transfiguration. Best to test it out on the towels first.

"Everything OK, out there?" came Harry's call from the bedroom.

"We're fine!" Tracey called out. "Hermione's just trying to figure out what she'll wear back to Gryffindor tower!"

"Hermione," Harry's head suddenly poked out from the bedroom door. "It's nearly midnight, tomorrow _is_ Monday, and unfortunately, we _do_ have to get up tomorrow on time. It's too much trouble tracking down something that will fit you, and it's after curfew, besides. The Fat Lady won't let you in, and you're just as tired as the rest of us."

"So, what are you saying?!" she nearly screeched.

"Spend the night," he shrugged.

"WHAT?!"

"Where else are you going to sleep? The Library?" he looked at her askance. "Also, don't even think about saying you'll sleep on the couch, and the girls won't let _me_ sleep there either, so while you lot were finishing up, I went ahead and expanded the bed. There's enough room that nobody has to touch anybody while sleeping, and I promise, Hermione, that nobody is going to say a word about this. Right?" All of the others quickly nodded their heads.

"Well... I don't know..." she hemmed and hawed for a minute.

"C'mon Hermione!" practically every girl in the room begged, even Myrtle. When they, all those that could pull it off anyway, brought out their Puppy Dog Pouts, well, Harry couldn't really blame her for caving in. After all, nobody could stand up to that kind of pressure for very long, no matter who they are.

00000

Harry smiled as he saw all the girls splayed out over the huge water bed. For just a few moments, he had felt uncomfortable about Hermione joining them, but seeing how she integrated, he soon forgot all about his trepidation.

The young women had literally fallen into bed, exhausted, staying right where they fell. He grinned, feeling like trying to get some kind of reaction out of them. And if not them, then certainly Hermione.

"So, how are my pretties feeling after their first training?" he asked, leaning against one the pillars of the temple.

That comment earned him a grateful, if somewhat exhausted, smile from the girls. He got no reaction from Hermione, other than an uncertain look that seemed to be part shock, part calculation. Materializing one of his favorite tools, he sat down on the edge of the water bed. If _this_ comment didn't get a reaction, he was giving up and turning in as well.

"Who wants the brush?" he asked on a menacing tone, brandishing his new weapon.

Hermione, contrary to all the other females in the room, had never been present when Harry had used that particular item before. She was just about to open her mouth and berate the boy, when some weak groans come from the other girls, followed by every arm lifting into the air.

Harry chuckled. "New girls first," he said, slipping next to Myrtle. The ex-ghost smiled gratefully, and groaned as Harry lifted her into a sitting position. Releasing the ponytails she had been wearing for the last half-century, her dark hair flowed free for the first time since her untimely death.

Slowly, he started working the brush through her locks, eliciting groans of pleasure from the girl. A disappointed groan came from the other girls. "Now, girls, you know I don't play favorites," Harry admonished. "Everyone gets a turn."

Hermione watched, too exhausted to comment, as Harry brushed with delicate strokes, a tenderness, a caring emanating from the simple action that she found hard to believe. By the time Harry was finished, Myrtle was fast asleep.

Gently, he lowered her to the bed, and kissed the nape of her neck. "Sleep well," he whispered. "I'm sure you need it." Straightening up, he waved his weapon about. "Who's next?"

One by one, he brushed the hair of the other girls, taking extra care with Luna's and Gabrielle's extremely long hair, and having a blast when Tonks recreated the neon-blue-and-purple-striped hair.

"Not too tired for that, huh, Tonkie?" he asked with a chuckle. She stiffened slightly.

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," the Metamorph muttered.

"It's either that or Nymphie," Harry retorted as he continued to brush the intensely colored hair.

Tonks muttered something under her breath, and remained silent. For all of ten seconds, before a dull groan escaped her lips. She couldn't help it! The boy was so darn good at what he did!

Finally, they were all resting peacefully. "Hermione?" he asked, hefting the brush in a questioning manner.

"It'll take you all night to brush my hair," Hermione muttered, tiredly. Harry shrugged, and vanished the brush.

"Just asking," he said, dropping in between Cho and Daphne. Both the Ravenclaw and the Slytherin immediately spooned against him. He pressed a light kiss against either set of lips. "Good night, girls."

Tired they may be, and half asleep they may be, too, but the others weren't about to be denied their own goodnight kiss, and slowly, they crawled over to receive it.

"Goodnight, girls," he muttered.

"Goodnight, Harry," they muttered back, and silence descended.

"Don't I get a kiss?" Hermione finally asked.

"Do you want one?" Harry returned. "After all, kisses are for family."

Silence.

"Never mind," Hermione voice was faint. "I guess," her whisper was even quieter, but was still audible to the others. They were all diplomatic enough to act as if they didn't hear it.

00000

Monday morning sparked a change in the natural order of the world. For Hermione Granger, that is.

She woke up, not in her usual pajamas, but the basic terry cloth set that she was forced to transfigure out of a bathrobe the night before, and she woke up on the edge of a giant bed, that had a six foot platform between it and the edge of a sheer cliff atop a mountain that didn't really exist. She also happened to be sharing that bed with ten other girls and a young man, who was at the center of it all, in more ways than just one. And because she woke up on that bed, she couldn't say anything in outrage about how Harry was so disappointing.

What shocked her even more, as she sat herself up and looked over the den of inequity, was how much that many would perceive as the perversions of a teenage master, was just the opposite, as the girls all _willingly_ dressed themselves up in _harem girl costumes_! And the way they doted on him, the way they were throwing themselves at him, what they said about him and did for him, and even how they acted with one another!

Frowning with thought, Hermione decided to take another look at all these magic contracts that Harry seemed to be 'accidentally' collecting...

Harry frowned as he felt the waving motion of the bed beneath him, and as he opened his eyes and saw the trailing edge of Hermione leave through the door, he smirked as he realized that, whether she meant to or not, same way or different, she _still_ managed to wake them up in time to get ready for the day.

"Come on, girls," he chuckled as he slowly extricated himself from the pile of female flesh, "Time to get up. It's Monday, and that means back to life, back to reality, back to the here and now." A few of them groaned, either from sleep, or from his piss-poor quote. Regardless, they were all waking up now, so he went ahead and left, practically racing to the shower ahead of them all. He still _barely_ managed to beat Luna, Tracey, and Ginny there.

After bathing, and being blindfolded for the duration he was in the bathroom, they all dressed and got ready for the day. While the others were in the bedroom "getting ready", Harry was collecting the necessary books from his trunk and whatnot. That was about when he realized that Hermione was just sitting there, curled up on the couch, staring into the fire.

"Hermione?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"Hm?" she asked, looking up, having been deep in thought.

He frowned, then smiled. "I never thought I'd see you wearing that... not like the others," he said, indicating a small gold linked chain peeking out from around her neck.

She flushed, and lifted out the remained of the chain. "Sometimes a girl likes to feel pretty, and desirable."

Harry chuckled, and studied the golden links of the small chain, as well as the heart-shaped sapphire that was attached to it. "Simple elegance, just like you," Harry said, still grinning.

Hermione tucked the jewel back underneath her Hogwarts uniform, hoping to hide all evidence of the chain she was wearing. Harry said nothing as he noticed that the chain still peeked around her neck. "So you think I'm simple, do you?" she asked with a note of challenge in her voice.

"I would have gone for elegance," Harry muttered in defense. "You know, the kind of elegance and beauty that doesn't require hours in the bathroom."

Hermione lifted one eyebrow, part in shock, unable to believe that her shy and quiet friend was the one saying things like that. "Oh, really? And why have you never told me this?" she asked with a subtle smile on her voice, obviously pleased with the compliment.

Harry shrugged. "Afraid of losing you," he admitted. "But I hope I'm getting better at talking to a bunch of crazy wenches."

"So now I'm crazy?" Hermione asked with a second raised eyebrow.

Harry shook his head, glad to see that the introspective mood that seemed to have gripped his friend earlier had vanished. "More like you're a wench. But at least you don't spend hours in the bathroom to get your looks, like some of the others do."

"Pf," Hermione huffed. "Tonks doesn't require hours in the bathroom either."

"Tonks _cheats_, big difference," Harry replied deadpan.

"I cheat, do I?" Tonks asked, dumping herself unceremoniously on the other side of Hermione, already dressed in the oriental-style public uniform, the glint of her necklace visible around her neck. Of course, being a trained Auror, Tonks noticed the gold chain around Hermione's neck. She shared a glance with Harry, and kept quiet, although a small smile spread across her features.

"Yes, you cheat," Harry replies. "Being a metamorph, you don't require hours in the bathroom."

"I do if you want me to walk around with morphing," Tonks muttered. Hermione snickered, and looked mirthfully at Harry.

"Fine, so you don't cheat," he replied with a pout. "Often," he added silently.

Suddenly, Tonks produced a wand. "Why you little..." she threatened, waving it around in a playful manner.

Harry, mock-frightened, jumped up. "Tonkie?"

Her wand bellowed rose-petals at him. "Oh no! It's the attack of a thousand rose-petals!" Harry screamed, jumping up and down and aside, trying to avoid the brightly colored threats to his manhood.

"That looks like fun," Luna said from where she entered the room.

Soon, Harry was laughing incessantly as every girl that finished in the bathroom joined in the fun, 'hexing' him with petals. His mirth increased only when Hermione joined in. His friend needed to cut loose every now and then.

00000

Amazingly, Monday wasn't so bad so far, but Harry was still waiting for the other shoe, or in his case _slave_, to drop. Classes were the same, and thankfully he had Charms and History of Magic for his morning classes, and then it was off to lunch. The only downside that he could see was his personal embarrassment over having all of his servants, _between_ classes and during breaks, dressing up in those tight Asian-style servant uniforms.

It wasn't like everybody didn't already _know_ who his servants were, but now with those dresses, it was like the girls were shoving it in his, and everyone else's faces!

On the bright side, however, there had not been a single incident against either his servants, nor himself. In fact, a few of the newly minted 'Pure Slytherins' even gave him an encouraging grin and a thumbs up during Charms class. It was downright bizarre!

And now he, and his uniformed girls, were at lunch and it was Ginny and Pansy's turns at sitting along either side of him. Myrtle was still getting used to eating again, and so the girls seemed to have isolated her so that they could instruct her on the proper way to "prepare" his food for him. He still didn't like that, but at least it wasn't so bad as when they were trying to feed him!

Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him, and a few of the others were looking up and behind him, with looks of surprise and confusion covering their faces. Turning, he was surprised to see fellow Gryffindor Quidditch player Katie Bell standing there, holding a brown parchment package in her bare hands.

"All right, Katie?" he asked. Surprisingly, she just stood there, staring down at him.

Like it was more an afterthought than a true reaction, she opened up the package and revealed a simple box, much like the ones that he put the girls' jewelry in when he gives them, only less ornate. He looked her in the eyes, and was shocked as he saw a troubling mixture of dull glazed-over expression and that of somebody trapped in their own body, struggling to get out. If ever there was one spell he knew the effects of better than most, it was the Imperious Curse, _especially_ after his Fourth Year when Moody/Crouch kept putting him under it until he could throw it off after a few seconds, if that long.

"Katie?" his voice grew concerned, reaching up to grab her shoulder.

"Malfoy... sends... his... regards..." her voice struggled, but was soft, like coming through a distant microphone.

She made to open the box and place the contents of it on him, but he knocked it out of her hands before she could. Or at least he tried to, as the box flew open anyway and the simple gold band, large enough to fit around a person's neck (or a very big man's arm) it was tossed into the air in the brief struggle, and almost like it was magnetized, or perhaps magicked would be the better term, it homed in on and flew around Katie Bell's neck and locked into place.

"Katie!" his shout drew the attention of everyone in the hall.

Instantly her eyes cleared, the Imperious no longer affecting her he could see, but something else, something about that gold band was now affecting her, as she fell to her knees before him and gazed with confusion and slavish devotion as her voice spoke clearly and passively, "I am yours to command, my Master."

"Oh, fuck," he cursed.

In the background, Luna giggled as Daphne grumbled and gave the blond three galleons while other hands changed money all around the Great Hall, more noticeably at the Head Table.

00000

An hour later, in the Hospital Wing, Harry was pacing outside the door while half his girls were inside, trying to find out what had happened, and the other half were sitting along the wall, watching him pace with mixed looks.

Myrtle especially was confused by this behavior, as while she understood that Harry hated having people in service to him, this clearly was not his fault and given that it was simply a cursed artifact, there was no doubt a cure for whatever it had done to poor Katie. The odd thing was, the girl still acted the way she normally would, except that she couldn't call Harry "Harry", but always and nothing but "my Master" and whenever Harry said something that could be interpreted as an order, she immediately did it, no matter what, whether he was speaking to her or to himself or to somebody else even. Telling her to ignore him didn't seem to help either, and the one time, on Hermione's suggestion, that he ordered her to never obey him again, she collapsed in pain like she'd been hit with the Cruciatus curse!

So, now they were at the Hospital Wing, but the only ones that were allowed in, aside from the Professors, was Hermione (as a fellow female Gryffindor), Cho (as Head Girl), Luna (as Harry's First and thus Katie's "Superior"), Tonks (as an Auror that has some minor experience with cursed objects), Tracey (as she claimed she _might_ be able to recognize who could've sent the slave band), and finally Daphne (who'd snuck in and was hiding in the back so she could let Harry know when to come in). Outside, alongside Myrtle, Ginny, Gabby, Susan, and Pansy were sitting on their haunches, still in their uniforms, and there was no bench, so they settled for resting on their laurels as they watched Harry pace. Opposite them, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, was Ron, who was also watching his friend pace back and forth.

All the words of comfort and calming had already been said, and in a few cases been snapped at. So now it was all down to the waiting game, and while none of them felt calmer from Harry's pacing, they understood the physical activity helped him in focusing his magic, otherwise he would be leaking magic all over the place.

Finally, Daphne gave the signal and Harry dashed forward before anybody even noticed he'd moved, and the door stayed shut behind him. Not than any of those still outside were stupid enough to want to be anywhere near Harry when he's on the verge of another nervous fit.

"Mr. Potter, I didn't send for you just yet," Madam Pomfrey spoke the moment he'd entered her domain. He didn't care.

"How is she? What happened to her? Is she going to be OK? What happened?" he asked without taking a breath, on the verge of panicking, if he wasn't already.

"Harry, Katie's fine," Hermione calmed him down.

"Hey, I am right here, y'know!" the brown-haired Chaser exclaimed from her bed.

"How are you Katie?" he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"I'm fine, Master," she spoke with her normal tone, but the term was like a slap in the face with a dead fish.

Turning to Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Madam Pomfrey, he demanded with an echoing boom and glowing gold eyes, "_What happened to her?_"

"That piece of jewelry round her neck is what happened to her, Mr. Potter," the School Nurse explained to him, not intimidated in the least by his display. "And I will remind you, that you are in my Hospital Wing now, young man, and you will abide by my rules, otherwise I will throw you out myself, is that understood?"

Startled, and more than a bit intimidated himself, Harry sheepishly nodded his head and answered, "Yes ma'am, I'm sorry ma'am." Calmer, he asked the other adults, "What has happened to Katie?"

Dumbledore sighed.

"She has been placed under a most devious curse, one thought to have been lost to the ages," he began. "It's very name has been forgotten, but it's effects are long remembered. Suffice to say, it is known as the Enslavement Curse. The Imperious is far more effective means of controlling another person, but this curse in particular imbues specific habits rather than total control. For instance, the habit of calling the one that is imprinted, 'Master' and so forth. Also, that the victim must do _everything_ the so-called Master tells them to do. This variation seems to be more generalized, and from what Miss Bell has been able to tell us so far, it would seem that the original target for this trinket is you, Harry."

"_Me_?!" he screeched.

"Yes," Luna spoke up, smiling beatifically, "It would seem that during the last Hogsmeade weekend, Lucius Malfoy was visiting and he caught Katie Bell unawares and placed her under a delayed Imperious Curse, so that he would have an effective saboteur when he so chose to use her. After what you did to his son and his friends, Lucius owled the slave band to Katie with the necessary instructions to place it on you and to then imprint you to either Professor Snape, or through her to him directly."

"I really wish that was another one of your conspiracy theories, Luna," Harry moaned, turning around to slam his head against the nearest stone wall.

"This is usually the point where I'd say something sarcastic and deriving about Potter's need for fame and attention, but honestly I just don't see the point anymore," Snape commented.

"Is there a way to reverse the effects?" Harry asked between head butts with the wall.

"Well, we finally removed the cursed item and had it summarily destroyed," Madam Pomfrey reported. "Fortunately, while I doubt that it's effects are permanent, it is a good thing it came off when it did, as I'm sure that if it had remained on, it would've continued to... program, for lack of a better term... Miss Bell until she was either the Perfect Slave, or Mr. Potter's perfect slave, although I'd be willing to bet on the former more than the latter. Unfortunately, there's no way to say how long the effects of what changes _were_ made will last. Could be a day, a week, a month... a year... or..."

"Or I may never be free of my Master?" Katie wailed, having been listening to all this so far.

"I'm afraid so," the School Nurse shrugged, the situation beyond her control. "The one thing that I can say for certainty is that sending Miss Bell to St. Mungo's is out of the question. The best they could do is tell her the same thing; which is wait for the effects to wear off. But given what happened when Mr. Potter tried to order her not to obey him, I believe that separating them by more than a few meters would not be advised."

"But that was the collar, wasn't it?" Hermione argued.

Tracey, Daphne, and Madam Pomfrey all shook their heads, but it was Tracey who answered, "No. That was the curse. The slave band is just that, a band of gold, which the curse was placed upon. Just because that which carried the curse is no longer affecting her, the curse was still placed upon her, and the effects that it put in place would still, basically, be _in_ effect until they wore off."

"This sucks," Katie grumbled.

"You have no idea," the still slamming-his-head-against-the-wall Harry grumbled.

"I think it's time we took our leave as Harry welcomes his latest family member," Dumbledore made for those not apart of Harry's family to leave. Hermione stayed behind and Ron came in with the others from the hall after the adults had all left.

"So, Master, looks like I'm the latest in your collection," Katie sarcastically retorted. Harry winced, both at the tone and at the dreaded word.

"Look, Katie, I'm sorry... I... I don't know what else to say. And is there any way for you to stop calling me... that?" he begged.

Katie snorted, crossing her arms and giving him an even more sarcastic look as she answered, "Not a chance, _Master_. You heard the others. That damnable curse made it so I can't call you anything _but_ Master, Master. Also, you better be careful what else you say to me, otherwise I'm going to kiss your ass and beg for forgiveness."

Harry was confused by that, blinked for a second or two and did a double-take as he asked her, "Huh?"

Katie just growled, but didn't say anything further. Thankfully, Luna stepped in. "I think what Miss Bell meant to say, before her curse reworded her threat, was that she would like to kick your ass for making her do something against her will, and make you beg for mercy. Unfortunately, the curse was active enough to probably make the changes necessary so she cannot intentionally, or even unintentionally act in any way that would result in harm against you. So she probably will kiss you ass long before kicking it. I think we should all start calling you Master, Master."

"NO!" Harry shouted, which was surprisingly supported by the voices of most of the others in the room. He continued, "It's bad enough Katie can't help calling me... _that_. I'm not about to have the rest of you start it up too. And while I can't order her to stop calling me... that, I _will_ order the rest of you to _never_ call me that for any reason whatsoever! Is that understood?" Gratefully, the others nodded, while Luna looked a bit disappointed.

"So now what?" Katie asked them, feeling a bit lost now that her anger had dissipated enough for her to start thinking about what the rest of her life was going to potentially be like now.

"Now, I try and lift this thing off of you," Harry muttered angrily. Katie startled as he stood up, brandishing his wand. Closing his eyes, he started to mutter. Power lifted around him, filling the Hospital Wing with its intoxicating sensations. The hair of the girls started to lift, standing at attention as if they were charged with static electricity, the prickling sensations running over their skin.

They startled again as two circles appeared around Harry, one at about eye level, one at the level of his waist. As he continued to mutter ancient Summerian, the top band flashing angrily as it spun around him, blurring with speed. The one at the bottom contained each and every cuneiform marking Hermione knew, and even some she had never before seen. The bottom band rotated angrily, the signs _almost_, but not quite, blurring. Suddenly, one sign flashed, appeared on the top band, the sign on top standing still as the one at the bottom flashed once.

A second sign was identified, becoming visible on the top band. As time progressed, and more signs were identified, the process sped up, sometimes two or three signs flashing into existence on the top band at the same time.

Harry's muttering increased in strength and power as the ancient Sumerian Curse Breaking spell continued, trying to determine the locking sequence of the curse. The girls stared in abject awe as Harry progressed through the entire sequence, the top band suddenly flashing gold and the spell disintegrating.

"Good," he muttered. "Now." His eyes flashed open, and he threw his wand to one side. It spun end-over-end, reaching the wall, which half-liquefied instantly, the wand embedding itself halfway into it before it solidified. Harry's hand slapped together. "_Obliterate!_" he shouted in English, the pounding of his voice and magic making the entire Hospital Wing shake and tremor. Madam Pomfrey, having come in halfway through the Curse Breaker, and stunned into silence by it, stepped forward as Harry's magic detonated around him, flashing towards Katie.

It struck her, smiting her back into her bed. Harry gagged, almost falling over, but stabilizing himself. He grabbed his wand, and it lifted clear of the wall effortlessly.

"What... did you do?" Katie muttered, sitting up.

Harry sighed, and sunk into the chair next to her, grabbing her hand. "I can't do everything yet," he muttered guiltily. "I couldn't... couldn't remove the curse. All I could do, was get you some freedom."

"_Some_ freedom, Master?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Katie, I want you to call me Harry. And I want you to treat me like you did before."

Katie blinked, tensing, halfway expecting to be hurt. She wasn't.

"Harry?"

Harry smiled at her. "No more Master for you, Katie," he replied with a tiny smile. "Unfortunately, I couldn't break the magic that binds us... but I swear, I will try and make this as comfortable for you as possible."

Katie nodded. Then growled, and slapped him. "Hey!" he shouted, rubbing his cheek, ignoring the fact that all the girls present suddenly looked vaguely pissed off.

"Just checking," she muttered.

"You couldn't have found a better way to check?" Harry muttered, rubbing his tinging cheek. Katie Bell had a wicked slap in her.

She shrugged. "I couldn't even think about hurting you before, Harry. Obviously, that part of the spell is gone. Of course, if it's truly gone, I should be able to... go home with you." She winced.

"Sorry, you're not free yet," Harry muttered, looking downcast. She lifted his head.

"At least it's better than before," she said, gratefully, suddenly grabbing hold of his face and kissing him. Hard. On the lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Harry muttered dazedly. "I guess."

"Now... unfortunately, we have to go back to class," he said after a few seconds of silence, where the girls glared at Katie for kissing Harry like that. "But afterwards, we take you home."

00000

"_This_ is your home?!" Katie exclaimed as she caught sight of the living room/sitting room.

"Wait until you see the bathroom," one of the girls behind her whispered.

"And the bedroom," another added.

"Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home," Harry quoted as she stepped around his growing harem and took a seat on one of the couches. "Despite what happened, Katie, we want you to feel comfortable here. Also, I think I should nip this in the bud while I still can, you are under no circumstance to follow _any_ orders that come from Luna, even if she says they come from me. Is that understood?"

"Yes Harry," the Chaser spoke with a sudden monotone, before blinking and smiling at her fellow Gryffindor. "Thanks."

"Oh poo," Luna pouted for all of 1.23 seconds.

"So, other than the bathroom, and bedroom, what all do you exactly do in here?" Katie had to ask.

"What do you think we do?" Harry innocently remarked.

00000

Harry sighed as he rolled up his Potions homework. Twelve inches on the use of flobberworm slime in Confounding Potions. He smiled at Pansy, Tracey, and Daphne. "Thanks for this. I never would have gotten all that without you." He glanced at the scroll. "I never thought I'd actually understand this stuff one day."

Pansy chuckled as she rolled up her own homework. "Happy to help," she said, Tracey and Daphne just nodded as they too, rolled up the assignment. Looking up, Harry surveyed the living room area of the shelter he had made out of the Chamber of Secrets, and couldn't suppress a smile. Susan, already finished with the assignment, was now helping Ginny and Luna in explaining some things to Myrtle, things the newfound fifth-year Ravenclaw had obviously forgotten as her half-century as a ghost.

Of course, this was also OWL year for them, hence the reason why Susan tried to help out, explaining things to the Owl-students.

At a second table, Tonks was doing the same with Cho and Katie, both in their NEWT year, and already flooded with excess work. The Auror was excitedly waving her hands as she explained some strange concept or other. Gabrielle, in her first year, didn't have a lot of homework... yet... even though she had started out in a year already in progress. The part-Veela was sitting by herself, holding a book upside-down, trying not to be conspicuous as she listened in to the conversation Susan was having with Luna, Ginny, and Myrtle.

"Well, someone's happy," Daphne said. "Not that it's a bad thing, mind you, but usually you go all mopey when a new girl joins in the fold."

Harry shook his head, stood up, and walked to the comfortable couch in front of the fire. Falling down into it, he let out a breath and smiled as he stared into the fire, letting his mind relax after the overtime it had been doing with Potions. He might be able to read ancient languages and use extinct forms of magic, but Potions was _hard_, damnit!

"Care to tell us why you're so happy, _Magister Potter_?" Tracey asked as she fell down next to him. A second later, Daphne was on his other side, and Pansy shot them both a jealous look as she sat down in the nearest couch.

He smiled at them, then stood up, and swept his arm to indicate the room. "Look at us," he said. The conversations stopped abruptly at the sudden motion by the boy... _no_, the man... who had become the center of their lives. Tracey and Daphne looked over the back of the couch, while Pansy just straightened out to look over it from her vantage point on another seat. "All of us, we're here together, helping each other, explaining things, working together. Like a family. A _real_ family. Nobody's left out... even I know that Susan, Luna, Ginny, and Myrtle know that Gabby's trying to eavesdrop."

The part-Veela flushed. "I didn't want to intrude..."

Susan leaned over, and whispered something, and the girl shot her a thankful grin, scooting over to the table where they were explaining things to Myrtle. "See?" Harry said, his point proved. "I just couldn't help but think that this is how I always thought a family should be. We're all helping each other, and we're all together." He shrugged. "So I'm happy."

"Instead of speeching, why don't you help us explain this Defense problem to Myrtle?" Susan asked with a cheeky smirk. The girls laughed, and Harry shook his head ruefully.

"Last time I'm explaining why I'm happy to you ungrateful wenches," he declared, as he strode over to the table with a grin on his face, content in the knowledge they were all comfortable enough with each other to joke like this. "Next time, I'm just smirking mysteriously."

"The 'silent treatment' again?" Luna asked, with a dreamy look on her face. "It is ever so interesting to see Ginny try and pry information out of you when you use that technique."

"Hey!" Ginny protested as the girls laughed and Hurry chuckled. "I'll have you know I'm not _that_ curious!"

They all stared at her. "What?" she finally asked. "I'm not!"

Harry carefully reached out and patted her hand. "Whatever you say, dear."

Again, the girls laughed, and Ginny flushed. "Alright, I'm curious. But I'm not _that_ bad!" she declared.

"Of course not, Gin," Harry muttered, still patting her hand.

"Stop patronizing me!" she huffed. "I'm not that bad!" She looked around, and saw not a single supportive look. "Am I?"

"No, you really _are_ that bad," Daphne declared from across the room. After all, it was easy to be brave from across a room.

Ginny pouted cutely. "But we love you anyways," Harry said, patting her hand again, cheering up the Gryffindor fifth year. "Now, Susan said something about a Defense problem?"

Suddenly, Harry, and Luna, both looked up, and then over at the coat room entrance just as it opened to reveal Hermione standing there, looking ready for class, and maybe a small vacation as she was carrying both her books and an extra bag the looked filled with clothing.

"Something we can help you with, Hermione?" Harry asked, both concerned and amused at the same time.

"Uh, no, quite the opposite really," she replied. "I figured that at least a few of you would need my help in some regards for homework or studying. But you most of all need me to wake you up, otherwise you'll sleep the whole day away, and during our NEWT prep year, that is simple unacceptable, Harry Potter!"

"You really like our water bed, don't you?" Ginny asked with a vindictive sort of glare.

"What?! Don't be silly!" Hermione's voice raised in pitch.

"It's OK, we all like that bed, that why we sleep with Harry on it," Ginny 'innocently' pointed out.

"Come on Hermione, tell us the real reason you're here," Tracey grinned sadistically at the Gryffindor.

"I told you," she told them, flustered, "I am just here to make sure you are all prepared in the morning. I am also offering my aid in helping you to study, so I would advise that you not question my generosity in this matter, as I have the prerogative to change my mind, if I should so desire."

"Oh posh," Myrtle growled at the girl, "you're here the same as the rest of us, because compared with your common room, this place is paradise, it has more pleasant company, and Harry is your friend, who according to the ghost gossip that was going around... when I was still a ghost that is, your only other friend who you spend all your time around is spending that time with Gryffindor Sixth Year Lavender Brown instead."

Harry, and most of the girls winced at the gaff. Even he wasn't so tactless, nor stupid, to point out something like _that_ to a girl. Especially not Hermione!

Thankfully, instead of blowing up at the ghost-turned-girl, Hermione turned three kinds of red before finally sighing and sitting down and asking, "Who needs help with what? I'm through arguing about this, and Harry's the only one who can tell me to leave anyway. Believe what you want, but unless told not to, I'm staying and there is not a thing you can say about it. Now, who needs help with their homework?"

As one, everybody turned to look at Harry expectantly. He squirmed just a bit under their gazes, but finally just shrugged and brought out his Transfiguration homework and made sure to sit right next to Hermione so she could help him out. It seemed to break the ice as everyone went back to what they'd been doing, while a few, such as the other Sixth Years, likewise flocked to Hermione and began asking her questions.

Once all the homework was done, Harry took all of them, after he'd already changed, into the Holosuite and lead them through another couple hours of dueling and defense work before calling it a night and they all went to bed. Nobody knew where she got it from, as they'd all still gone to class and she'd been working beside them the whole way, but Luna managed to pull out a red-issue 'Bedroom Fun' uniform for Katie to change into after the communal bath. Another round of brushing, goodnight kisses, then they all retired to the bed for sleep, and the end of a very long day.

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8

**The Poker Game**

Harry Potter and the others do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this, and I wouldn't be short on cash.

In this story, I'm making some assumptions on the value of the Galleon. Seeing as we are generally rather uninformed about prices in the wizarding world, I'm basing my assumptions on the end of book four. Harry gave Fred and George 1000 Galleons to open the joke shop. Assuming that the twins had some money of they own, and the money was enough to cover rent for at least a few months, as well as getting stock, inventory, and doing testing of various items, I'm assuming that 5000 Galleons is enough to buy a small house in the country, and 10,000 would get you a reasonably sized house.

A/n: Nowhere is Myrtle's surname written down. We know she's in Ravenclaw, but there's no surname, so I made one up. Just for you purists out there... :)

_The Poker Game – an HP shortfic by Enterprise1701d and Joshua The Evil Guy_

**Chapter Eight**

Harry was almost disappointed when he woke up like he usually did, on a bed covered and surrounded by beautiful, scantily-clad young women, but it had more to do with the fact that Hermione wasn't yelling at him, simply shaking them all awake one at a time. She had brought her own clothing down from Gryffindor tower the day before, hence why she was in her own nightgown instead of a transfigured terry cloth set.

Once they were all awake, they all headed off to the bathroom to get cleaned. Harry, smirking to himself as he snuck in the other direction from the bathroom, took his wand with him into the locker room that went to the Illusion Chamber, and proceeded with transfiguring and conjuring up another shower stall in the locker room. In fact, he placed in two. One a communal shower, the other a private stall that had a solid, non-see-through wall between it and the rest of the room, and placed the same combination of Egyptian, Summerian, and Modern Fidelius charms on its location, or equivalent.

After everybody was clean, they headed up to classes, Katie now sporting a red silk dress to match with Ginny's, until she stepped into class that instantly changed back into her school robes the moment she crossed the threshold. Same thing happened to all of the others he noticed, when he shared a class with them.

Classes themselves continued as normal, and once again, Harry was just counting the minutes until his next slave dropped into his lap. It seemed, going by the past few days anyway, that they usually showed up around lunchtime, so Harry was beginning to make plans to have lunch either in the kitchens themselves, or to go all the way back down to the Chamber of Secrets and having Dobby or one of the other elves bring him some food.

Unfortunately, it looked like fate was working against him, as before he could cement anything, Professor McGonagall cornered him on his way to his next class, and all but ordered him to report to the Gryffindor Common Room as soon as he got out of his next class.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall?" he said the moment he entered the common room and spotted his head of house.

"Mr. Potter, there is a matter of some urgency that we must discuss," the Transfiguration teacher told him.

"Yes?"

"The least of which is the fact that, while you now hold the rank of Magister, you are still a student at Hogwarts, and you are still a Gryffindor under my responsibility. Which means that for the past week, or so, you have been in clear violation of curfew," she lectured.

Harry blinked and stared at his teacher for a few moments before raising an eyebrow in question.

"That, however, is trivial when compared to the rather serious matter I have called you here to discuss," she deflated a bit at his stare.

"And?" he prompted.

"There's a pool," was all she told him.

He blinked, and then asked, "Come again?"

"A betting pool, a wager collection, a gambling den, a horse race, a..."

"I get the idea," he stopped her before she went any further. "On who gets to be my next... servant, right?"

"No, that's the obvious one and quite frankly, you made me quite a bit of money yesterday, Mr. Potter. No," she composed herself before continuing, "this pool is among a select few, almost strictly among the female population, and a cause for some concern to the staff, the Headmaster and I. Suffice to say, the _prize_ of such a pool, is that the winner gains the opportunity to _become_ your next servant."

Harry's face dropped. "You're joking."

"I wish I was."

"I've got to put a stop to it," he said, then stopped. "But how? I don't even know who... Wait. _Almost_...?"

McGonagall shrugged, but Harry was already catching up. "Oh gawd, not the Creevy brothers... Now I've _really_ got to put stop to this. Wish I knew how though..."

"Thanks for the warning, Professor," Harry said as he made his way to the portrait hole.

"Just a moment, Mr. Potter," she called him back at the last second.

"Yes?"

"There is... unfortunately, one last piece of... news," she was holding a piece of parchment in her hands, and as he approached, she handed it to him. The moment he read the top line, he _almost_ crumbled it up and threw it in the fire, but he kept reading anyway to see just how bad it was. Until he realized it looked like it wasn't that bad... maybe. He'd need to get Hermione's and Daphne's opinions on it, but right now, he was fairly certain that the parchment he held was _not_ a Magical Contract giving him another servant. From the _looks_ of it, it was actually just a formal request for an audience with him. Between himself, his... entourage, and the Patils. Making sure, yeah, it just said the Patils, so it could mean anything from the twins themselves, to the twins, their parents, their siblings, even their grandparents maybe. Still, he needed to get this to Hermione and Daphne.

00000

"Well, it's definitely not a Contract," Hermione said, "and I can't find any other trace of magic on it at all, other than trace amounts at most, but it's not a Contract."

"Definitely not a Contract," Daphne agreed, looking over Hermione's shoulder at the parchment. Looking annoyed at the Slytherin, the brown haired Gryffindor handed it back to Harry.

"Have you spoken with Parvati or her sister about it yet?" she asked.

"Didn't want to risk it," he explained. "Not until I knew for certain that I wouldn't accidentally make them my slaves just by talking with them. What do you think this is about?"

"Well," Luna spoke up, walking around from behind to sit beside the other two girls, "taking into consideration the warning Professor McGonagall gave you about how there are some people that are actually fighting and betting to _become_ your servant, there are only two options. One, the Patils are trying to nip it in the bud, so to speak, so that when, not if, their daughters are bound to you, it will be to their advantage rather than a pure accident. Or two, they want you to sign the _other_ type of Contract."

"Other type of Contract?" Harry repeated.

"I think she means instead of a Binding Contract, or Servant/Slave Contract," Hermione explained, "the Patils might try to get you to sign a Prevention Contract. A Prevention Contract simply states that one wizard has another wizard, more or less, swear an oath _not_ to do something, either a specific act, or go to a specific location, or something along those lines. It can get rather complicated, as all of them can, but that is the basics."

"The _very_ basics," Daphne snorted.

"Either way," Hermione glared at Daphne before continuing to speak with Harry, "it can't hurt anything to go and ask the twins what this could all be about. Also, the invitation there is more of a notice, saying that Parvati and Padma's parents are coming to Hogwarts tomorrow, and they've requested some of your time to speak with you. Nothing in it about what, just the polite way of setting up an appointment."

"More like the formal way of setting one up," Harry grumbled. He sighed. "Luna, could you and another of the girls go and find Parvati and Padma for me please? Bring them up to Myr... uh, to the entrance and then I'll ask them what it's all about. All right?"

Hermione's face contorted in anger the moment Luna left with Ginny and Myrtle by her side, and then the bushy haired witch sat up and slapped her friend on his arm.

"OW!" he screamed. "What was that for?"

"You could've gotten up off your lazy arse and looked for them yourself, Harry James Potter! I know you can't completely ignore giving them orders, but don't let it corrupt you at the same time!" She slapped him again.

"Ow! It's not like that. Well, OK, maybe it is, but just a little. OW!" He ducked his head as she made to hit him again. "Hermione! I've got half the school looking for me so that they can trick me into accepting a servant or slave contract from them. Did you know, on the way back from Gryffindor tower, I had a fourth year girl _trip_ on a broom in front of me and then tried to pawn it off as me saving her life and her owing me a Life Debt for catching her? I'm not leaving this place except to go to class, meals, and then I'm right back here as soon as possible. It's bad enough this keeps happening to me, but I'm not about to start collecting more girls just because they want to get closer to the Boy Who Lived!"

"You're kidding," Daphne and Tracey both stared.

"It couldn't possibly be that... well, OK, it might," Hermione started to protest, then trailed off in thought.

Suddenly, Harry's head turned off towards the entrance, saying, "That was fast..."

"Luna and the others are at the top with Parvati and Padma. Daphne, Tracey, Cho, come on. Uh, Hermione, if you'd like to come, I'd appreciate your input," he hesitantly asked. Rather than make further comment on his actions, she simply huffed and then lead the way up the stairs.

The moment the door opened, Luna, Ginny, and Myrtle all turned expectantly towards him, but both Parvati and Padma glanced at the space on the wall and back and forth at the girls with confused expressions. Until Harry stepped fully beyond the threshold, and the twins gasped at what, to them, looked like he'd stepped right out from a blank wall. Egyptian Fidelius, especially when backed by the willpower of Harry Potter, is considerably more potent and effective than the modern renditions, that still allow sight of what is hidden to pop up the moment somebody crosses the threshold.

"Ladies," Harry greeted the twins. "Thank you Luna, Ginny, Myrtle. I've asked Daphne, Tracey, Hermione, and our illustrious Head Girl to join us for this conversation. You're free to stay or leave, it's up to you." They apparently all decided to stay as none of them made to leave, simply staring at him. Finally, he turned fully to the Patil twins and brought forth the 'invitation' McGonagall had given to him.

"Not to be presumptuous, but would either of you care to explain exactly what this is to me?" he asked.

Padma accepted the parchment, and he swore that her deep brown skin paled considerably as she read it. Jumping to conclusions, her sister likewise paled, but also groaned and rolled her eyes up. Luna, behind them, giggled almost uncontrollably, before asking, "So who won the betting pool this time?"

"Oh, it's not like that," Padma quickly assured everyone. "Well... it may not be that, but this in itself does not promise _or_ bind us to you, Harry. But that's not to say we won't still end up as part of your... entourage?"

"Family," he quickly and quietly corrected.

The Ravenclaw Patil merely nodded, accepting his correction, and continued, "Family. I'm not sure if I can explain this properly without giving you the wrong idea. Also, let me assure you, we have _no idea_ what our father wants to speak with you about."

"What about your mother?" he asked.

Both girls shrugged, but Parvati answered, "Father is the head of our household, and mother follows his wishes. It is the way of things. Sort of our customs. We're immigrants, you do know that, right?"

"Do now," he muttered under his breath. "So other than the advice, 'expect nothing and expect everything', is there anything else I should know about for this?"

"Only..." Padma stopped and shared a look with her sister, which caused said sister to pale once more. "Only that there are some facets of our culture that you need to understand before you meet with our family. It's not like etiquette and 'do this or else' kind of thing, but more of a 'so you can better understand' type of thing."

"All right, go ahead," Harry made himself comfortable sitting on one of the sinks.

"All right..." Padma took a deep breath before continuing. "First to understand, while I believe that muggle India has undergone something of a social revolution in recent years, Magic-India is still very much like what you might have found there several hundred, even a thousand years ago. The most important of which is the use and belief in the Caste system. It works a lot like the whole Pureblood hierarchy thing here in England, only there are different levels to it instead of just pure, impure, and mixed."

"Also, there's Reincarnation, which is a very important aspect to the Caste system," Parvati interrupted her sister. "Once you're born, or reborn, into a Caste, you stay in that Caste for life, no amount of bribery or actions can change your position, or Caste in this life. Of course, once your soul has become closer to cleansing its karma, in your next life, usually you are born into the next highest Caste."

"Of course, now there are spells to determine the tracery and lineage of one's own soul," Padma interrupted her sister, giving the Gryffindor girl a look. "And _that_ is how one's Caste is determined in the Magic side of India, while what Parvati described is closer to how the muggles handled things. The Castes that we use are basically; the Brahmins (teachers, scholars and priests), the Kshatriyas (kings and warriors), the Vaishyas (traders), and Shudras (agriculturists, service providers, and some artisan groups), and the final group that was excluded from the main society was called Parjanya or Antyaja, a group of "untouchables" (now called Dalits)."

"Our family," Padma continued, "are of the Vaishyas Caste, especially our father, who is a prominent businessman that deals in trade between Magical Britain and Magical India. Our father is actually very respected among his peers back in India, as in his previous life before this one, he was one of the Brahmins for several thousand years before changing his Caste to Vaishya. Unlike with the muggles, Indian Wizard families cast the soul-trace spell on their children almost the moment they're born. Tracing the soul back lets them know what Caste they belonged to, but there is also another spell cast, one which lets them know what Caste the soul wants to be in for _this_ life. Our father chose to become Vaishya."

"You've said that twice now, what does that have to do with anything?" Hermione asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

Padma, seeing it not as rude but the desire to quell curiosity, shrugged and answered, "He always told us, whenever the subject came up, about how it baffled the priests and other wizards how a soul so ingrained in its path would all of a sudden change like that. He then told us and mother, when he first accepted the job that would force us to move here to England, about a dream that he'd had every since he was a boy. A dream about the Leader of all Magic being born outside of all cultures and raised outside of magic and then must conquer every type of magic there is to become a King. We never really understood what he meant, but our mother accepted it without protest once he told her of the dream."

"Just out of idle curiosity, what Magical Caste are you two in?" Ginny asked.

"Brahmin," Padma answered immediately, "but I think it's because I want to be a teacher."

Parvati nodded, "Well, I don't want to be a teacher, but part of the Caste includes Astrologist's and stargazers and I think I could become a pretty good fortune teller one day, judging from my grades in Divination and from what Professor Trelawney tells me."

"All right," Harry said. "Thank you for speaking with me, ladies. You've given me a lot to think about. It's almost lunch time, and we're meeting the rest of the girls there, so how about we all head down together? I suddenly find myself rather ravenous."

00000

"Hey Ron, how's it going?" Harry asked as he met his friend underway to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Pretty well," Ron said with a grin, glad to be able to speak with Harry without the need to shout over a bunch of girls. Of course, said bunch of girls was still around them, but he was getting better at ignoring the various gorgeous young women dressed in oriental uniforms. "Lavender was quite happy, if you catch my meaning."

Harry returned a smirk. "I'm glad for you."

"Thanks, mate," Ron said, thumping Harry on the shoulder as they entered the Great Hall. "Say, do you think McGonagall has broken that thing you did with Malfoy yet?"

Harry froze, something vicious snapping into place, a nagging detail he had forgetting in all the hassle yesterday. He glanced at the High Table, and shook his head. "No. Not yet."

Ron, seeing his friend freeze up, and the look on his face, decided it wise not to say anything further. Harry, on the other hand, was unaware of the _look_ that had set itself upon his face. "Daphne. Tracey."

"Yes, Harry?" both witches asked simultaneously, feeling quite worried about the rapid change in demeanor.

"Malfoy," he said.

"You took care of Malfoy," Ginny reminded him, frowning in confusion.

"Senior," Harry said. "He placed Katie under Imperius. He gave her that necklace. I forgot she said he was the one who 'sent his regards' until right now."

Both Tracey and Daphne nodded. "What do you want to do?"

"You two have been convincing me that I have political and economic influence now," Harry said, voice still devoid of emotion.

The two Slytherins nodded, while grabbing his arms and guiding him to the Gryffindor Table. And thus Ron, once again, found himself further away then he'd like, with Harry at the center of his group of witches, Tracey and Daphne flanking him. "What do you want to do?" Daphne asked.

Harry's right eye twitched. "I was him crushed. I want him broken, left in the dust, the ruins of what he used to have, intact to appreciate the full horror of the situation."

"Did you ever go through with that idea you had on charging rent for Malfoy Manor?" Tracey asked. "Because, if you have, you could have them thrown out, as they don't strike me as the type who'd pay up."

Harry's green eyes lit up as a truly dangerous smirk appeared on his face. "Convert it into a muggle orphanage or something."

"Oh, he's not going to like that," Daphne muttered as she took notes on a piece of parchment. Her own smirk grew. "Using the Greengrass economic power, and if we couple it to the fact that we now hold _four_ Wizengamot Seats, we could push through some quite... _interesting_... laws that mister Malfoy most definitely isn't going to appreciate."

Harry nodded. "Good. I want him to know who's doing it, and I want it planned so well there's not a damn thing he can do about it. By the time the week is out, I want his assets gone, his property either sold or otherwise made gone, and with him and that stupid bitch of a wife of his groveling in the darkest alleys of Diagon Alley, begging for food."

Half the Great Hall was totally silent as Harry spoke. Pointed glares from the girls got them looking away and resume their meal, as if nothing had happened.

"It's a pity that I can't just leave school and go hex him, but this way will be very interesting to watch, as well," Harry muttered more to himself.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed. "You can't go around hexing people to solve your problems!"

"Oh, yes, he can," Luna retorted quite levelly.

"I'm glad to see you're taking an interest in politics and economics, Harry," Daphne said, putting her head on his shoulder. "I just hope you can appreciate, by the end of the week, that economic and political devastation can be just as much fun as wrecking someone using magic."

Harry smirked at her. "I'm sure you'll do a fine job, Daph. That wonderfully twisted mind of yours does wonders."

She kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Harry."

"But..." Hermione muttered.

"He would do the same for you, Hermione," Luna said, once again replying to the bushy-haired girl's mutterings. "Do not stop him from doing such a thing for us."

"But I don't _want_ him to do such things for me!"

"But you _will_, should something happen to you," Susan replied.

"Herms. Suse. Luna. No bickering," Harry grunted under his breath, rubbing his forehead. "Thinking about Malfoy has made me cranky."

"Sorry, Harry," Susan and Luna replied immediately.

" 'Herms'?" Hermione asked, stunned.

He shrugged, and replied, "S'pose I'd best stick with 'Mione' then, huh?" She just glared at him and crossed her arms over her surprisingly impressive chest.

Harry shrugged again, and then obediently bit into the mashed potatoes Tracey was holding in front of his face. As he chewed, he glared at her.

"Don't look at me like that," the Slytherin replied. "If I hadn't fed you, you'd go without lunch."

Harry grunted unintelligently, unable to deny the accusation.

00000

Harry was pacing the length of the living room. Classes had ended, and the entire group had about an hour or to spare before dinner was served, and so, they had, once again, amassed in the seemingly ever-expanding living room of their quarters.

"Forget this," Harry muttered darkly. He hadn't been able to forget about Malfoy Senior since lunch. He could feel his magic pulsing deep within him, obviously itching to go wreck something. Or build something, depending on what got shoved in front of it. "I hope you don't mind, but I need some time alone," he grunted to the girls as he started to walk to the Illusion Chamber.

"If you need release, Harry, why not take advantage of me?" Luna asked innocently, which caused his step to falter, and stare at the blond.

"What?" he asked, not sure if he understood correctly.

"Instead of... finding relief... by yourself, I thought it might be more enjoyable for you to find relief with me," the little blond Ravenclaw said with an impetuous smile.

"Oh! I volunteer to help Harry find release!" Gabrielle screamed, jumping up and down, actually holding her hand high above her head, as if she were trying to answer a question in class.

Tracey daintily lifted a hand. "I also volunteer for that," she said, grinning wider as Harry just stared from one to the other.

Before any more girls could join, Harry interrupted them. "I don't know what you wenches have in mind, but I most certainly am _not_ looking for that kind of relief!" He glared at Tonks and Ginny, who got halted halfway in the process of lifting their hands and volunteering as well.

"Well, usually, when a boy wants to be alone, he's going to be doing something that he doesn't want girls so see," Luna said. "Usually, that involves tissue paper and a naughty magazine..."

Harry shook his head. "I don't want to know where you got all that from," he stated. "But, if you nosy wenches must know, I'm going to blast some magic at the Chamber of Secrets. And seeing what happened last time I got interrupted, I don't want any distractions this time."

"Wenches, are we?" Ginny asked.

"Nosy ones," Harry confirmed with a nod.

"Whatever happened to 'your pretties'?" Daphne asked.

"Oh, you're still pretty," Harry said. "Just that you're also wenches, especially since you don't want to let me blow off some steam."

"Come now, we volunteered to help you with that!" Tracey muttered.

"I'm _not_ going to have a wank!"

Luna patted his shoulder sagely. "Maybe one day you will convince yourself, Harry."

He slumped, and sighed. "I can't win this one, can I?"

"No, Harry," Luna said, smiling slightly.

"Fine then," Harry said, lifting his head and walked out of the room. "I'm going to go blast the Chamber of Secrets."

"I wish he'd blast on me," Luna muttered. "Or in me."

It was the last thing he heard before the door closed. Sighing, he leaned against it, shaking his head. Already, he felt better. How did that strange girl know what to say to make him feel better? Granted, the whole conversation had been surreal, but Harry wasn't so far gone as to not be able to appreciate the humor in it.

Grinning madly, he switched to the workout linen, and entered the Chamber of Secrets. He had done most of the major construction of the spa annex bathing annex swimming pool area, but now he'd do most of the minor touch-ups. How he had forgotten to finish it, he couldn't tell. He had been under a lot of stress lately, he guessed to himself, and decided to forgive himself.

Waving his wand about, he sent Egyptian Magic rushing out.

00000

"I hate you, Harry Potter," Ginny declared.

"Want to be released?" Harry asked, lifting an eyebrow and quirking his lips at the redhead as they descended back to their home after a large dinner.

"Huh," Ginny huffed. "I hate you so bad I'm going to make you absolutely miserable with my presence, rather than giving you the satisfaction of being rid of me."

Harry lifted his second eyebrow at the quirky Gryffindor. "Alright..." he drawled out the word.

"Just tell me!" she shouted.

"No," Harry said, pressing open the door to the antechamber. "It's only a couple more minutes before you can see for yourself."

"I hate this!" she declared.

"You already said that," Tracey said, griping good-naturedly.

"No, she claimed to hate Harry," Luna said. "Say, does this mean, I get to whip her for her insolence?"

"Normally, yes," Tracey said, nodding self-assuredly as Ginny looked at the Ravenclaw and Slytherin with growing concern on her face. "Of course, you could also _beat_ her. I'd recommend a softer wood, it's her first time, and it's always best to break a whipping virgin in gently."

"Good advice," Luna said, turning to look at Ginny, who was drawing pale. "Should I have her strip?"

"It's customary that beatings are taken nude," Tracey answered with an evil grin.

"HARRY!" Ginny cried, rushing to him, and grabbing his arm, as if she were trying to hide in his embrace. "You're not going to let them beat me, are you?"

"Gee, and here I thought you hated me," Harry muttered, an unusual twinkle in his eyes.

"You KNOW I didn't mean that!"

"Neither do Tracey and Luna," Harry said, grinning widely.

"We're not?" Tracey asked, deadpan.

"Oh, poo! I never get to have any fun," Luna declared.

"Come on," Harry said, ushering them into the Illusion chamber, and out the back. "_This_ is what I was working on when Myrtle interrupted, and this is what I came to finish this afternoon."

"So you really weren't having a wank," Cho muttered.

"_No_!" Harry shouted.

"Pity, I'd like to volunteer along with the others," the Asian Head Girl muttered.

Harry stared at her for a few seconds, then shook his head, trying to free himself from the base thoughts coursing through his mind. "Anyway, the spa, swimming pool, and all around bathing area. No more rushes to the bathroom."

"Pretty," Luna declared, the other witches nodding mutely. Finally, the Ravenclaw turned to Harry, and waved her wand. The simple and plain Egyptian cotton uniform shifted into a skimpy one-piece bathing suit, which barely covered the girl's essential bits. "Do you want me to scrub your back, Harry?"

For close to ten seconds, Harry had trouble to keep his eyes on Luna's. They kept drifting down, dammit. The girl was pretty, and that damn swimsuit wasn't making things any better.

Suddenly, he yelped when his own clothes seemed to melt off him, leaving only a tight speedo for himself. He glared at Daphne, who looked unrepentant.

"You look good," she purred, actually licking her lips. By now, the others were busy transfiguring their own swim wear, and it made things substantially more difficult for Harry.

This was one aspect he had _not_ considered. And if he knew those girls, they'd do practically anything to make his life difficult. He turned, and walked to a statue depicting a mermaid.

"What'll it be, Hon?" the statue asked.

"Cold," Harry grunted.

"Cold?" the statue asked. "How cold would you like it, Hon?"

"Freezing."

The statue said nothing, but suddenly, a spray of water splashed from a jug in her hands, thin streams of obviously ice-cold water drenching Harry in seconds. He hissed and huffed, before stepping out of the spray. The statue stopped. "Good, Hon?"

"Y-y-yeah, t-thanks," Harry said, shuddering as his teeth clappered. He turned and walked back to the girls. "S-s-shower," he declared. "J-just t-tell it how warm you want the water."

Luna plastered herself against him before he had a chance to step away from her. "You're so cold, let me warm you up," the girl said, grinning impishly. As one, the others declared it was a good idea, and before he knew it, Harry was flat on the ground, buried under a small mountain of warm, soft, giggling girls.

"OK, that does it," he grunted from beneath them, before his hands started to move.

"Oh, AHHH! W-wh-what was that!!" one of them screamed.

"AHH!"

"EEHHH!"

"Hey, that pinched!"

"Grrr! That's not fair!"

"Oh poo!"

Finally all the girls scrambled off of him, some looking at him weirdly, one or two giving the 'Evil Eye' and rubbing to sooth sore spots.

"We were just playing," Tonks argued, rubbing a particular sore spot on her torso.

"Yeah, right," Harry chuckled. He got up off the ground and without further comment, lead them towards the Olympic-sized pool, over thirty feet deep in the middle, with a sloping shallow beach of stone angled down into it. On the far end were a few diving boards and ladders for that sort of thing. And of course, the customary waterfall near the shallow beach side. Taking advantage of the girls hospitality in transfiguring his clothing for him, he went right into the pool, angling for the deep center, making good time as he swam too. Ever since the Second Task in his Fourth Year, he'd made sure to keep up with his swimming skills, especially without the gillyweed.

The girls, their fun having been spoiled for the moment, decided to call a ceasefire and followed him into the pool, now all sporting transfigured swimming gear. Only a few of the more confident swimmers even dared go deeper than four foot depth into it though. Or those that were a bit lucid in the head and dead set on making Harry, or themselves, near drown just so _somebody_ could do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Unfortunately for those of that mindset, the moment they had their heads below water for more than a single minute, the sea serpent decorations along the sides, bottom and ceiling of the pool, switched from inanimate statues to transfigured beasts of the sea, which just so happened to lift those that were "drowning" out of the water and carried them back to the shallow section. Gabrielle and Luna were gravely disappointed.

Harry swam a few laps, laughing when everyone was surprised by his "safety measures" and subtly enjoying the view. Hey, he certainly wasn't a pervert or a leach, but he was still a man!

Finally, after a long while spent relaxing in their new spa and pool, Harry got out of the pool and took a quick shower before redressing himself, or rather transfiguring his cotton shirt back, and then changing back into his casual clothes, where he then went back to the living room where he planned to finish up his homework for the day. To his surprise, despite having been with the others earlier when he'd showcased the spa, a few of the others were already there, working on their homework or other classwork already. Myrtle, Katie, Cho, and Pansy were all hard at work studying and accepted his presence with a smile, but given that this was study time, the flirtations were put on hold.

Half an hour later, Hermione and Ron both showed up, the latter claiming that Lavender had some things to do and he was free to join his friends for a while. Harry briefly considered showing them the spa and everything else he'd done since they'd last seen his home, but seeing how Hermione was in what he and Ron called her 'Study mood', he felt the best option for the time being was to just focus on their work and rebuild the Trio's dynamic. About that time, everybody else came out of the pool, but thankfully the older girls had kept Luna, Ginny, and Gabby from walking into the living room in their transfigured swimsuits, and they spent the rest of the afternoon studying. The older girls, Tonks excluded, were studying for NEWTs, while the younger girls, Gabby excluded, had to study up for their upcoming OWLs. So there was more than enough reason for the serious atmosphere.

Until it was supper time and they went up to have their dinner of course. Then, taking the fastest route possible, Harry lead them all back down to the imaging chamber were they outfitted for some practical defense training. Ron joined in, but after the girls had already been doing this for a couple of days now, he couldn't keep up as well as all of them could. Still, it was fun and a lot like being back in the DA. Only without the threat of the human toad Umbitch trying to catch them and expel or torture them.

After the incredibly intense workout, courtesy of Harry and his, quite literally, insane Egyptian and Sumerian magics, Ron slunk back to the Gryffindor Tower, literally ready to fall at the drop of a hat. Harry's offer of the guest bedroom went unanswered, and everyone saw him drag himself away.

"Well, that was strange," Harry muttered. "I wonder if I should feel insulted."

"He probably just wanted a goodnight kiss from Lavender," Daphne said with a smirk as she nestled herself closer under one of Harry's arms. He tightened his hold on her by sheer reflex now. Myrtle, being the lucky one to procure his other arm, felt him tighten his hold on _her_, as well. A happy little smile played on the former ghost, her mopey attitude of the last fifty years completely forgotten.

Looking at her, and her happy face, Harry's smile widened perceptibly. He blinked, and seemed to realize something. He looked up at where Katie was discussing something with Cho. _Seventh Years, _Harry scoffed affectionately to himself. Slowly extracting his arms from the girls, he got a bunch of protesting groans.

"I'll be right back, ladies," Harry said as he stood up, answering the disappointed looks shot at him. "Stay right where you are, and your human pillow will come right back."

"Alright, but don't take too long," Daphne commanded.

"Yes, dear," Harry said on the level defeated tone of a long-suffering husband. It was a tone he had perfected over the last week. He got the chuckles he had hoped for, and walked into the bedroom. Five minutes later, he returned, holding two gift-wrapped packages in his hands. The other girls realized what it meant, and smiles were spread all around, while Myrtle and Katie just looked confused.

True to his word, Harry sat down exactly where he had left. "Myrtle, Katie," he began, quite seriously, making both girls look at him with confusion. Harry _rarely_ spoke seriously to them. Usually, it was when he was explaining something, or teaching them... never in a setting such as this.

"The others know of this," he went on, shooting a smile around the room, to the other young women there. Hermione found herself returning the smile without thinking about it, just like the other girls. "Anyway, this is like a welcome to the family gift. I'm sorry I didn't do this earlier, but I always feel it best to get to know the girl first." He swallowed when he got little reaction from either Myrtle or Katie, both girls continued to look at him.

"Anyway," Harry pressed on, "these are for you. Myrtle. Katie," he held out the two packages, and both girls took them, looking rather dazed now, although expectant grins were present on each girl's expression.

Myrtle was the first one who got her gift open. Not having gotten one in fifty years, she had opted on the old let-her-rip technique, and tore the gift wrapping right off. She went silent when she saw a jewelry box. Reverently, she clicked it open, not seeing how the other girls craned their necks to be able to see, nor how Katie had stopped opening her own, focusing instead on Myrtle.

Her breath stocked in her throat. "These are beautiful," she choked out, tears running down her face. Throwing her arms around Harry, still seated right next to her, she cried, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're welcome, Myrtle," Harry said, a big smile on his face. He always loved making his girls happy. "You're very welcome."

Finally, the former ghost released Harry, and got around to sharing the sight of her new jewels to the others. A pair of earrings were present, pendants in the form of the Egyptian Ankh symbol, a reference to eternal life, a reference that wasn't lost on Myrtle. They were solid gold, as their weight could attest, marked with not a single jewel, except for a solitary diamond attached to the tiny link between the hook and the pendant of each earring.

Coupled to the ankh earrings was a single, delicate, silver chain necklace, shining and sparkling in the light of the living room, once again, a single solid gold ankh attached to it with the single-diamond motif on the link between chain and pendant.

"I thought these matched you perfectly," Harry said as the girls ooh-ed and ah-ed at Myrtle, who couldn't wait and was already putting on her necklace, her face beaming with happiness and gratitude.

Katie, meanwhile, looked at her package, and was now fiddling with the gift wrapping, trying to get it to open with shaking hands, and now succeeding the way she liked it.

"It _is_ alright to tear if off, Katie," Harry said with a small smile in the Chaser's direction.

Her fumbling fingers deserting her once more, the girl muttered something dark, and tear the paper off with a vicious grin. Harry shuddered. The last time he had seen that look, she had slapped him after he had released some of that vicious control spell's effects.

Finally, she got the paper off, and the box open. She gasped, and fell silent. Most of the girls around looked very appreciative.

Hoping he hadn't done something insanely stupid, Harry remained silent. The next moment, his worries went right out the Floo as he found himself pressed deep into the couch, a blubbering Katie Bell on his lap, arms around his neck, thanks and appreciate comments blurring through each other as the Chaser's mouth worked overtime trying to keep up with her mind.

"You're welcome, Katie. I'm glad you like them."

"Like them? They're beautiful!" the Chaser cried, wiping fruitlessly at her eyes as she grabbed the jewelry box, remaining on Harry's lap at the same time. "Where did you get these?"

"Malfoy's Family Jewels. Won them during the poker game that started all this, and I decided to hand them out," Harry said with a grin. "When I saw these, I just had to think of you."

Lifting a beautiful bracelet out of the package, Katie gingerly slipped it on. It was about five centimeters wide, once again solid gold, with insets of jewelry that depicted the various balls from Quidditch. There was a solid ruby Quaffle, a Golden Snitch that was built up out of yellow diamonds, with white diamonds for wings, and an opal had been cut in the form of a Bludger.

"It's gorgeous," Katie whispered.

"I guess someone in the Malfoy household likes Quidditch," Harry said with a grin. "When I saw it, I couldn't resist. Besides, I didn't think you'd appreciate a necklace."

Katie laughed, and hugged him again. "You've got that right, Potter," she said, affectionately, lifting the earrings out of the case. "And you're going to tell me that these are also from those jewels?"

Harry looked at the small earrings, one earring having a small quaffle-ruby, the other a dark and ominous match for the opal-bludger on the bracelet. "Scout's Honor, Bell," Harry quipped back.

"Whatever," the girl cried, hugging him again. "They're beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like them," Harry said, grinning widely. Suddenly, he frowned slightly, then burst out laughing. The girls, smiling at his infectious laugh, just stared at him.

"What?" Hermione finally asked.

"I just realized... it's almost ten, right? And I haven't had a girl drop into my lap today!"

"Does that mean our family isn't going to grow anymore?" Susan asked, sounding halfway between happy and sad.

"Aww," Luna muttered. "I was really hoping to have Hermione join. I still want to learn the horizontal tango from her."

"Let's not out run ourselves," Daphne said, trying to be the voice of reason. "Don't forget that Harry has that meeting with the Patils tomorrow."

"Oh, hell," Harry muttered. "Forgot all about that..."

"So that might even it out," Luna said, smile at 1000-watts once more. "No girl today, two tomorrow."

"And twins, to boot!" Tonks said, grinning insanely. "Gee, Harry. Ninety-nine percent of the guys would kill to be in your position. Girls from all walks of life, including a part-Veela and a metamorphmagus, and now, maybe twins."

Harry groaned, and buried his face in his hands. He muttered something under his breath.

"What do you mean, you're among the one percent who _doesn't_ want to be in this position?" Daphne asked, sounding halfway hurt. "I thought we were _family_, as you keep reminding us?"

Harry drew pale. "Daph, please, I didn't mean it like that..."

"Bloody well sounded like it," the Slytherin muttered, withdrawing from him, and putting her arms around herself.

"Gods-be-damned, Daph, you know I don't mean it like that! Most of you are here because you got cursed, resurrected, forced into a contract, or all kinds of other nasty shit! Of course we're a family, but I would rather be here with you when you're all here out of your own free will, rather than being forced to be here!"

Daphne remained quiet, as did the other girls. Harry looked around the group, most of them seemed to be taking his side, but there were some of them who had a hurt look on their face, just like Daphne. Harry sighed once more, feeling like a jerk. "I would do anything for you. I... I care for you. For all of you. I wouldn't want to lose you. But..." he sighed. "If I have to chose... chose between me being happy, here with you girls, or all of you being happy, free and out there, able to do what you want... I..." his voice faltered here. "I'd let you all go free, you know that, right? I'd rather be miserable, knowing all of you are happy, than be happy knowing that you girls are forced into this."

"Some of us, _Magister,_ chose to be here," Daphne muttered, not sounding angry, but rather, sad.

He grabbed her, pulled her close to him. Not easy to do, especially with Katie still sitting on his lap, but he managed. "I know that, Daph. But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't rather have you be happy and free."

"I _am_ happy and free," Daphne muttered.

He froze.

"I mean that, Harry. I am happy."

"So am I," Ginny said. "Even though I'm your slave, unable to be released, and yes, technically, I was forced into this, I'm still happy. And free. I haven't yet found a situation where I couldn't do what I wanted to do. You don't even make us call you 'Lord' or 'Master', or 'Sir'."

One by one, the girls screamed their agreement. Hermione remained silent, a halfway-pained look on her face as she watched the family discuss these painful things, feeling wholly out-of-place, an intruder in private affairs, but, at the same time, strangely happy that no-one seemed to comment on her presence, as if it were a given.

"You mean that?" Harry asked, finally. "Really mean that?"

"Now I see why you kept getting testy when we asked that," Susan said with a grin. "Yes, Harry. We mean that, or we wouldn't have said it."

"Thanks, girls," Harry whispered quietly, his head rest against Katie.

"You're welcome, Harry!" they all screamed, Katie and Myrtle joining in about halfway through, getting the drift of talking-together quite easily.

He chuckled.

"Come on, let's go to bed. It's been a long day," Daphne muttered from under his arm.

He nodded. "You're right. A good night's sleep is just what the doctor ordered.

That night, he fell asleep with Katie under one arm, the Chaser's head comfortably on his chest, and Myrtle on the other side, the resurrected girl clutching at him as if he were her last lease on life. Smiling widely, he fell asleep, safe in the knowledge that, so far, he had managed to keep them all happy, and that none of them really felt constricted in the situation. As long as they stayed like that, they wouldn't want to leave him.

He fell into a deep sleep.

00000

It was the nightmare again.

_'Stop it! Stop iiiittttttt!'_

It hadn't lasted long and his fears had been quelled for a time with love and affection, yet the fear that spawned the nightmare remained and it would continue to remain until long passed the source of that fear was vanquished.

_'Noooooaaaaahhhhhhh!'_

Until then, the nightmare would continue.

_'NO! STOP IT!!'_

_'It's all your fault, Potter. I wouldn't even be interested in these harlots unless they belonged to you. And I will continue to take everything you care about until you _beg_ for death!' Voldemort hissed in his face._

"NOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Harry screamed as he jolted awake in the bed. Immediately he found all of his girls around him, looks of fear, concern, and caring on their faces, illuminated by the starry sky of the Temple setting. As with the Great Hall, the bedroom was set to match the sky with the same conditions that were outside the castle at that moment, though thankfully the overall temperature remained the same.

"Harry!" most of them screamed in fear and concern as he sat up. "It's OK, it's going to be OK," somebody comforted him, though he couldn't tell who exactly with his adrenaline running so high from the nightmare. A few moments later, his breathing had calmed and he was aware of himself enough to realized that he was being held on all sides, and his head was resting against somebody's chest. Somebody's soft, billowy, bouncy chest.

Looking up he saw warm brown eyes greet him, framed in soft black hair. "Hi, Myrtle," he whispered softly, his voice a bit hoarse from screaming.

"Hi, Harry," she said back. "Feeling better now?"

"A bit, yeah. Sorry for waking you," he glanced up and looked to see everyone else in the bed staring at him, "All of you," he added.

"It's nothing to worry yourself over, Harry," Hermione spoke from the side of the bed, while everyone else as sitting as close to him as they possibly could. "Ron told me once about the nightmares you have. Was it Voldemort again?"

"After a fashion," he grunted, sitting up further. The girls were forced to move a bit and resettle around him because of it, but his head was still too muddled from his nightmare to take caring note of that fact. "It doesn't usually get that bad, but... I just don't want anything to happen to you all. I, I can't stand the thought of something happening and not being able to do anything about it."

"What brought this on?" Tonks questioned.

"Not sure. Probably has something to do with the fact that I saw no less than fifteen different girls injure themselves intentionally just so they could get a shot at becoming my slave or something," he grunted. "It was all between classes, or during lunch, and I know a few of you saw it for yourselves. If perfect strangers are willing to do that to themselves just to get close to me... what would Voldemort and his Death Eaters do to you for the same?"

"Oh Harry," twelve voices sighed emotionally and Harry found himself victim to the most pleasant kind of group hug he was familiar with.

"Well, Voldemort can't hurt you or us, Harry," Hermione spoke up from outside the hug, "Certainly not while we're at Hogwarts. And look at how powerful you've become just this year alone! I can tell you this much with absolute certainty, Voldemort never, officially or unofficially, obtained the rank of Magister. Sorcerer, perhaps, but I believe the closest to true necromancy that he ever got was creating Inferi. Zombies," she clarified at the confused looks she received. "And everything I know about sorcerers tells me that while you're probably not there yet, you are maybe less than a year before you're just as powerful, if not more so than Voldemort and Dumbledore together!"

"Come on Hermione, I'm not that powerful," Harry blushed.

"Not yet," all the girls, and Hermione, all said in a weird stereo effect.

"Well, whatever," he shrugged, feeling tired. "I just don't want anything to happen to any of you. Not if I can help it."

"And how does you losing sleep help you protect us?" Tracey questioned.

"Right," Daphne agreed. "If you're serious about wanting to protect us, then you need to start taking better care of yourself and commit to it. Means you're not allowed to have nightmares about losing us anymore."

He chuckled. "That's not exactly something I can control, y'know."

"Sure it is," Luna inserted. "Simply say to yourself over and over right before you fall asleep, 'I will not dream of sexy bunnies, I will not dream of sexy bunnies, I will not dream of my hot harem girls dressed as sexy bunnies' and it's guaranteed that you won't dream of anything you don't want to dream of."

Looking incredulous as his First, a decision he was beginning to regret almost, he told her, "And what if I don't want to dream of you all as sexy bunnies?"

"Then you have nothing to worry about, do you?" Luna said, falling back down to the bed and sleepily yawning, then mumbling, "I will not dream of my lord and master Harry Potter, I will not dream of my lord and master Harry Potter, I will not dream of my lord and master Harry Potter ravishing me senseless."

Around her, the other girls shared wicked grins and lay back down, making their own short comments, each more vulgar than the next. Harry lay back down, a bit worried for his virtue as he listened to some of the comments. His dreams were not at all unpleasant after that point.

00000

Waking up was a rather pleasant affair, as it usually was. After saving his virtue from a bunch of not-so-subtle girls, Harry managed to get them out of their hidden home without further issues, for once. They split for class after breakfast, meeting up again for lunch. By now all of them were getting quite good at ignoring the various, both good and bad, comments about the girls' uniforms.

The Patils did not arrive at Hogwarts until shortly after lunch was over, and thankfully Harry and his girls had been excused from afternoon classes, seeing as DADA was something Harry was more than proficient in, and the classes the others had they could beg off for just one class period. With Professor Dumbledore's permission, they met with Parvati, Padma and their parents in a small sitting room off the Great Hall.

After a around of introductions, Mr. Patil surprised Harry by standing up. "So, Harry," the man spoke. "How about we let the women take care of themselves, and retire down to business?"

Harry blinked, not having expected that. "Excuse me, Sir?" he asked.

Now, it was the man's turn to look confused for a moment. "We shouldn't bother the women with talk of business."

Harry smiled slightly. "Meaning no offense, Sir, but my family is here because they _want_ to be, not because they _have_ to be. So, I don't think we'll be bothering anyone of my family if we talked business here."

Padma and Parvati smiled at that comment, but Mr. and Mrs. Patil were most definitely shocked, although Mrs. Patil kept her silence. "Your women don't follow-"

"With all due respect, sir," Harry stated calmly, having expecting something like that, "please do not finish that sentence. It is both demeaning and insulting towards the women in this room, and I do not take kindly to insults towards my family."

Sitting on his left, Luna put a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Harry. There is a different culture involved."

Harry blew out his breath. "Only for you," he muttered.

"That's all we ask," Luna said with a small smile.

Mr. Patil, having stood up until now, sat down again. Before the man could say anything, Harry glanced to his two classmates. "Padma. Parvati. Are _you_ here because you want to be?" As he addressed them in turn, both girls startled slightly.

"We want to be here, Harry," Padma then said. "You can tell us apart, Harry?" she asked, motioning for the fact that both she and her sister were dressed in traditional Indian clothing rather than the Hogwarts uniform that would so easily display the difference.

He smiled sadly. "I went to the Yule ball with you, Parvati, so yes, I can tell you two apart. And I'd like to formally apologize for being such a horrible date."

Parvati waved it off. "I was pretty angry for a couple of weeks, but I got over it once I found out how much pressure you were under."

"Thank you," Harry said, dipping his head.

"May we now get down to business?" Mr. Patil finally asked, after a comfortable silence had descended upon the entire group.

Harry sighed, and nodded. "Of course, my apologies." Inwardly, he was biting his tongue. For some reason, the man was getting on his nerves, probably because of the remark made earlier, and regardless of his promise to Luna, he didn't let insults like that slide so easily.

"I wish to begin with an apology regarding the way we started off," Mr. Patil then said. "I forgot that our cultures are very different, and from what my daughters have told me, I _should _have known you would not take kindly to my comment."

Harry blinked owlishly, not having expected that. His respect for the man, which had been flushed down a drain somewhere, managed to crawl back up. "I should not have reacted the way I did. I was warned about a possible culture clash," Harry said. "I will accept your apologies if you will accept mine."

Mr. Patil smiled widely, and Harry couldn't help but find himself liking the man when he extended a hand and said roguishly, "Deal!" Smiling despite himself, Harry reached out and shook the man's hand. Out of the corner of his vision, he noticed Padma and Parvati relax slightly.

He turned his head, looked at them, and grinned, before returning his focus to their father. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Harry asked in a friendly tone of voice, feeling better now that the earlier misunderstanding had been disarmed.

"My daughters have told me that they explained the Indian Caste system to you yesterday," the man opened, and Harry nodded at the questioning look.

"Yes, they did," he replied. "I kinda wanted to know more before agreeing to meet you here. I hope you can understand that, the last week and a half, I'm very... reluctant to agree to anything. Every time I do, I seem to end up with an ever-extending family."

The man waved it off. "No problem at all," he said. "Anyway, I come to you with a proposal, directly from the Indian Ministry of Magic."

"Oh?" Harry asked, not having expected _that_ development.

"You were also told of my dream?"

Harry nodded once, more, still off-guard. "I was," he admitted. "Something about changing your caste because you felt you would meet someone born outside of magic, who would then conquer all of magic to become King?"

Mr. Patil nodded. "I believe that person to be you, Harry. And, more importantly, so does the Indian Ministry of Magic."

Harry lifted one eyebrow, having at least expected _that_ much. "And, no offense, how did you come to that conclusion?" he asked, neutrally. "Let's be honest here, Wizarding Britain intermittently lionizes me, then vilifies me, usually within weeks of each other, before switching back."

The man looked at Harry neutrally. "Can you be trusted, Harry?"

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, not sure if he should feel insulted or not.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," he stated with conviction.

"I am doing very well in business between Magical India and Magical Britain. And in doing such business I have formulated the conclusion that British Wizards are, for the most part, pompous idiots," the man scoffed.

Harry regarded him for a few seconds. Then his left eyebrow twitched. Then the corner of his mouth followed suit. Soon, he was laughing, loudly. "Well said, Sir!" he stated, still chortling. As he regarded his extended family, they were all smiling and chuckling as well.

At that very moment, the door to the small sitting room was shoved open in a brutal fashion, a red-faced Lucius Malfoy barged in, as if Fate itself decided to aid in proving the point.

"Potter!"

"Hello, Lucius," Harry replied, hiding his shock at the sudden appearance, and managing a very respectable tone, if he said so himself. "How can I help you this afternoon?"

Before Lucius could answer, a puffing Minerva McGonagall entered. "I'm sorry... Magister... he barged right in before we could stop him," she breathed heavily, obviously having legged it after him. For a Pureblood Wizard, it seemed that Malfoy Senior was in better shape than McGonagall was. That, or he was heavily motivated.

"That's quite alright, Professor," Harry said, smiling in his Head of House's direction. It only served to make the elder Malfoy's face redder, which was a nice added bonus in Harry's book. "Now, how can I help you, Lucius? You're interrupting a very important meeting and I'd rather deal with this quickly."

Lucius Malfoy practically exploded. "What have you done to my house, Potter!?"

"I believe I donated it to the state, to turn into a Muggle orphanage, Lucius."

Mr. Patil managed to keep himself contained, using years of experience in business deals. Mrs. Patil just stared in shock, while her daughters chortled into their hands, trying desperately not to burst out in full-blown laughter.

"You... you...!" Lucius growled, trembling with anger.

"Yes, I," Harry said, smiling slightly. "I suggest you speak to your son, Lucius. He is the one who lost the house to me. I was just going to charge rent, but after that stunt you pulled with the cursed necklace... well, the kid's gloves came off, as the expression goes."

"I will get you for this, Potter!" the man screamed, spittle flying from his lips as he yelled.

Harry smiled slightly. "I doubt that, Lucius. You see, I have also given the order to get you where it hurts. We're coming after you, Lucius. We're going after your money, your precious position as adviser to the Ministry, your other properties, your seat on the Board of Governors of Hogwarts, everything. You'll have nothing, Lucius. You and your wife will be begging in Knockturn Alley by this time next month."

The man grew progressively paler as Harry's speech progressed. Finally, he looked like a small and pitiful, fearful man. "You have no right to do this Potter!" he finally screamed, trying to regain some of his earlier bluster. Unfortunately for him, his voice had cracked and the fear was plainly audible.

"Correction, Lucius. _You_ have no rights. The only right you have now, is the right to die. You forfeited each and all other rights the moment you chose to come after me and mine. Ask that half-ass of a son of yours, his half-ass bodyguards, his two burnt lackeys, or that whore whose bones I broke. I do not forgive those who go after my friends or family."

"But... but..."

Harry sat down. "This is over, Lucius. Goodbye. Mr. Patil, where were we?"

"Yes," Mr. Patil muttered. "Yes, quite. I believe we were discussing Magical India?"

"I do believe we were," Harry said, as McGonagall not-so-subtly pushed Lucius Malfoy to the door.

"You can't do this," Malfoy grunted, stopping at the door.

"Watch me," Harry said, not looking away from Mr. Patil. "And now excuse me, Lucius. I have important guests."

"You can't _do_ this!" Malfoy screamed again, totally losing his last vestiges of control and composure, drawing his wand and spinning towards Harry.

Harry was already on his feet, his eyes glowing gold, his wand glowing red in between his fingers. "I told you, Lucius. You only have the right to die."

The man raised his wand, and stared into Harry's bustling cauldrons of sheer raw power. Finally, he slumped, placing his wand back in his cane, and leaving the room without a further word, a broken and defeated man incarnate.

Harry drew a deep breath, and released it. The magic building up within him dispersed in the air, startling the Patil family as it washed over them, before putting his wand back. "Sometimes, I wish I could be man enough to fire the first curse."

"Sometimes, Harry," Mr. Patil spoke, "That is all that stands between us, as civilized men, and barbarians that misuse the power that is granted to us."

Harry dipped his head, accepting the little tidbit of wisdom from the older man. "Now, I believe we were discussing why we chose you," Mr. Patil went on, and Harry nodded. Without interrupting, the man went on, "For one, exactly because of what we just witnessed here, Harry. We know most of what happened here. You have never lifted your wand, nor fired the first curse. Yet, all you did was in the defense of another, either a friend... or family," he finished, glancing at the assembled girls.

Harry was silent, then glanced around. He sighed, then stood up, and dumped himself on the armrest of the couch Daphne was sitting on. "You work fast," he said.

"I try," she said, smiling slightly.

He grinned at her, then drew her into a hug, and kissed the top of her head. "Great work. I don't think I've ever seen him so livid... or so scared."

"Thanks, Harry."

He smiled at her. "No, thank _you_, Daph."

The girl flushed under his praise, and Harry turned back to Mr. Patil, remaining seated on the armrest, one arm around Daphne. "I can see your point, Mr. Patil, but that does not mean that I have to like doing so."

"And that, too, Harry, is what separates civilization from barbarism. Anyway, we believe you to the be the man from my dream. My prophetic dream. We wish to teach you new magic."

Harry glanced at the girls, most of them grinning enthusiastically at him.

"First Egyptian, then Sumerian, now Indian magic!" Ginny practically screamed.

"Hey, I'm in the sixth year at Hogwarts," Harry muttered. "I do believe I know a bit of Western Magic as well, you know."

Daphne hugged him back. "Of course you do, Harry. But, let's face it. The other stuff is what makes you interesting. We _all_ know Western Magic."

"And none of us can bring back the dead," Tonks muttered. Myrtle chuckled.

"I'm sure glad he can," the former ghost said with a wide grin.

"Very well," Harry said. "I can see the advantage of learning yet more exotic magic."

"Not just exotic magic, Harry," Padma said. "This is the Ancient Indian Magic, as handed down in the Old Houses of the Magical Indian nation. Granted, in comparison to the combat capability you've demonstrated using Egyptian and Sumerian Magics, Indian Magic is rather limited, but, I do think you'll find a different part of it rather interesting."

"Oh?" Harry asked.

"Indian Magic is especially skilled in exploring the paths of the Soul. As we're very good at determining Castes, and previous lives, our magic has grown incredibly potent in the area of the Soul," the Ravenclaw Patil said.

Harry gulped. "That's most definitely something I can't just pass up. Alright, what's the catch? What do I have to do to accept this magic?"

Mr. Patil nodded. "To begin with, you would need to be adopted into Magical India. Then, you need to be elevated to the Kshatriya Caste. As a member of this Caste of Kings and Warriors, we can then declare you a Maharajah, and pass on this knowledge to you."

"Elevated? If I understood correctly, that's done with a spell, right?" Harry asked.

Mr. Patil shook his head. "Unfortunately, you're a foreigner, Harry. That means that there are multiple factors involved. First of all, Karma. Now, we've already done this before getting here. We've mapped your Karma, and you are an incredible source for Good. Your Karma is off the charts, basically, and I do believe that is why you have been blessed with all of these fine young women in your family."

Harry's face clouded over for a second, before Daphne tightened her grip. "Don't even think about it, Harry. We're blessed with you, not cursed."

He looked at her incredulously.

"We're all starting to know how your mind works," Ginny said with a smirk.

He sighed, shook his head, and looked back to Mr Patil. "I've learned not to contradict them," he stated to the other man, who chuckled.

"That's for the best, Harry," Luna declared, still next to the empty spot he had left earlier. "Now, why don't you sit down here? More comfortable than on that armrest."

Harry shrugged, sent a last smile in Daphne's direction, silently mouthed 'thanks', then went and sat down. To his surprise, Luna threaded her fingers through his. He gave no comment.

"Anyway, your Karma is Good. Off the charts, and thus, that has been taken care of. The second is called _guna_, basically, your aptitude. As we've witnessed before, you're a born leader. You got your friends into the Department of Mysteries, caused mayhem, and actually got them out of there, alive, while under fire from Death Eaters and Voldemort."

"You can say his name," Harry observed.

"Although he is a powerful Dark Wizard, his name should not cause fear," the man declared.

"Anyway, on with the story," Harry said, smiling slightly. "How about we skip to the bad parts? What do I have to do?"

The man nodded. "Very well. In order to be granted this status, as I said, you need to be adopted into Magical India."

"Which means...?" Harry asked, starting to feel the shoe drop.

"Short answer, you'll need to marry us," Padma said.

Harry sat there, staring at the girl. "What?" he finally asked. Alright, he should have seen this one coming. But, somehow, the frank statement threw him for a loop. Forget his virtue, it was his very _freedom _they were after this time! "Marriage?" he squeaked in a very unmanly way, getting that very familiar deer-in-headlights look universally known by all males when confronted by the dreaded m-word. _Marriage_.

"If you'll have us, that is," Parvati muttered in a near-whisper.

"But... Marriage?" he squeaked again, for the first time looking at the rest of the girls. Some of them were shocked. The rest of them, however, looked vaguely pissed off. If he were a betting man... and he kinda was, that's what started all of this, he'd place good money on the fact that _they _wanted to marry him _first_.

"I... don't think I'm ready for marriage," he finally said, glad he had a way out of this. Now _THAT_ was a great excuse! "Besides, if I were... I have some ladies here who'd have first dibs."

Mr. Patil nodded. "We understand, Harry. Marriage is, after all, a very permanent and very large decision to make. For that reason, may I suggest a contract?"

"Contract?" Harry asked, really, _really_ beginning to hate that word.

Mr. Patil nodded. "A sort of betrothal contract. Basically, Padma and Parvati would join your family, in a very similar fashion to the way the others joined in. And, should your feelings change, you can still marry them. Of course, in Hindu society, there is no problem with polygamy, so if you would like to marry others, there is no problem."

Harry was silent, his mouth opening and closing multiple times. Finally, he shook his head, and started pacing. He stopped, opened his mouth. Reconsidering, he started pacing again. Finally, he stopped, and turned.

"Let me get this straight. You want to give me magic. Lots of it, and very potent. For this, you'll need to elevate me to the Caste that contains Warriors and Kings. And, in order to do this, I need to ally myself with Padma and Parvati, basically including either marriage, or possibility of marriage? With them joining my family immediately, under some contract of betrothal or other?" He glanced at the others. The betrothal contract didn't seem to bug them the way straight-out marriage seemed to do.

"Basically, yes," Mr Patil said. "As immigrants, we didn't want to get involved in the whole process of arranging marriages, of course, but this is a situation we just could not ignore. We've talked it over with Padma and Parvati, they agree to do this."

Harry just stood there, rubbing the bridge of his nose, feeling some horrible headache building. Suddenly, the tension seemed to ebb away, and a dull groan come from his throat before he could stop himself. Two dainty hands were kneading his shoulders.

He looked over his shoulder, and smiled. "Thanks, Luna."

"Sit down, Harry," his First muttered. "It will make this easier on me. You're quite a bit taller than me."

"Sorry," he muttered, sitting down, letting the girl knead his shoulder muscles into paste. He focused back on the Patils. "You should know," he told Padma and Parvati, "that I care nothing for titles, nothing for power, nor status. I just want to be left alone. Granted, I won't say no to power when thrown at me, but this..."

"You can see this is a dowry, Harry," Mr. Patil said, misreading the situation completely.

"_What_!?" Harry declared, halfway up to his feet before Luna shoved him... literally _shoved_ him... back down. The girl had impressive strength hidden somewhere. "You can not possibly just have tried to_ pay_ me in order to _take_ your daughters!"

"The opposite actually," Mr. Patil said uncomfortably. "The Indian Ministry of Magic views your adoption into Magical India too important. My daughters are the dowry."

"You cannot be serious!" Harry's magic spiked once more before being quelled by Luna's ministrations.

The man was silent, his eyes opening wider when he saw the magic build up around Harry, even though Luna was still behind him, massaging his shoulders, trying to calm him down. Seeing the situation, spiral out of hand, Daphne leaning forward.

"What are the repercussions for refusing the arrangement?" she asked.

"We'd be-" Padma began.

"Let me guess," Harry muttered darkly. "Untouchables, right?"

The twins' silence was all the answer he needed. The explicative left his mouth before he realized it. "Why does this keep happening to me?" he muttered coldly.

"Karma," Luna declared.

He looked at her, not knowing what to say to that. "You heard Mr Patil. Your Karma is going to provide you with a family, whether you want it to, or not."

He kept staring.

"Basically, you have an excuse now," the blond went on, actually looking as if she enjoyed herself massaging his shoulders while simultaneously throwing his world upside-down.

He sighed, and bent over again. He was shoved upright. "I can't massage your shoulders if you keep moving, Harry," Luna declared.

"Sorry," he muttered again. He looked at Padma and Parvati. Both were looking hopefully at him. Hopeful he'd refuse? Hopeful he'd accept?

"What do you say, girls?" he asked. "To be honest, Luna's Karma explanation is starting to make sense, and that usually means I need a good night's rest and a nice long soak in the bathtub."

"I'll join you!" half a dozen girls declared simultaneously, and Harry groaned. Ignoring them, he focused back to the Patil twins. "Padma? Parvati?"

"We'd very much like you to accept, Harry," Padma said, quietly.

"Plus, it wouldn't be the first time you accept a girl because she wants it," Parvati said, smiling slightly in his direction, hoping to win him over.

He glanced at Daphne. "Like you, the previous one I accepted out of will, rather than force, got herself into a situation where she couldn't get out without this." He looked back at them. "If I do this... if I accept this... every girl in Hogwarts is going to try something similar. I already have them trying to trick me into saving their lives. Not that it would work, seeing as the Life Debt actually has to predate the Life Debt Servitude Act... but it's still annoying as hell, and I'd rather not have a hundred families come see me with incredible offers trying to get their daughters into my family."

"Of course, confidentiality is the primary concern here," Mr Patil said. "We can't have everyone knowing that you are the new King of Magic in Magical India, can we?"

Harry sighed. "If it's a secret, that means that Hogwarts will know it by tomorrow, rather than dinner today."

"Not if I keep my mouth shut," Parvati muttered.

"Parvati?" Harry asked.

"Where do you think those rumors come from? I love Lav, but the girl can't find out a secret if her life depended on it. If I keep my mouth shut, nobody will know. I promise," the Gryffindor Patil said.

"Oh, great," he muttered. He yelped when Luna bore down on his shoulders. "Luna!?"

"It's Karma, Harry. You can't fight Karma. It's bad Karma if you do... and you don't want us taken away, do you?" Luna asked.

"What?" he asked, incredulously.

"Fighting Karma is Bad Karma, and if you have too much Bad Karma, your Good Karma gets overturned, and the Bad Karma can cause you to end up alone again," Luna said, nodding her head up and down with conviction.

Harry stared at her for a few seconds, then glanced at the rest of the girls, all of them staring at him now. Slowly, he pointed at Luna, as if silently asking, "is she for real?" Of course, he had gotten used to her, but that did not mean that she didn't throw him for a loop sometimes.

"She's right, Harry. Opposing Karma will turn around on you," Padma said, not believing she agreed with her dotty house mate.

Harry grunted. Luna released him the exact moment he leaned over, and slammed his head into the coffee table, a serene smile on her face. The Patils stared at the strange blond, he shrugged. "He was about to accept, I am not going to stop him from performing his ritual."

"Ritual?" Padma asked, seeing Harry come up for a repeat performance. Again, they all winced when Harry's head hit the table with a resounding crack.

"Yes," Luna said. "I believe Harry hurts himself each time he accepts one, or two, of us, in order to make sure he does not enjoy the experience. I believe he is slightly masochistic."

Harry muttered something under his breath.

"I do believe they did not hear your acceptance, Harry," Luna said, smiling slightly.

"Very well," Harry said, looking at Padma and Parvati. "I accept."

"Great!" Suddenly Harry found himself covered by two nubile Indian witches, seeing no other alternative but to grab hold of them, if only to make sure they didn't topple him over completely. For just a moment, he pondered just how deep the rabbit hole would go, but then his thoughts were jerked back to reality when they both planted kisses on his cheeks.

"Alright, alright," Harry muttered, a smile creeping onto his features. "Glad to have you, girls. Now, come on, get up, and I'll show you where you'll be staying." As they got up, and bid their farewells to Mr. and Mrs. Patil, Mr. Patil pushed a muggle briefcase into his hands.

"This is the magic we promised you. It's charmed to hold probably as many books as the library here. Of course, none of us can read it..." Mr. Patil said, trailing off when Harry clicked the locks open, and withdrew a tome, utter curiosity driving him on. His eyes started to scan, a slow smile forming on his face.

"What is it, Harry?" Luna asked, looking over his shoulder. "That looks like Sanskrit."

Harry shook his head. "Derived from it. Very heavily infused with magic, kinda reminds me of that Egyptian book I read," he muttered, slowly closing the precious volume, and putting it back into the briefcase before closing it up. "Thank you, Mr. Patil. For..." he looked from the briefcase to Padma and Parvati, "... everything."

Mr. Patil's jovial smile grew wider. "You're quite welcome, Harry. Now, you know that you _will_ take good care of my girls, or..."

Harry scoffed slightly. "If your daughters are anything like the rest of these wenches, I'd worry about what they're going to do to me, instead of the other way around."

The girls, safe Luna, glared at him. "You _do_ know we outnumber you quite heavily now, don't you, Harry?" Tonks asked, a slight dangerous undertone to her voice.

Harry turned, and grinned at her. "Of course I do, Tonky. And I also remember who is the one teaching you Egyptian, Sumerian, and now Indian, magic."

Tonks gulped. "Point taken."

"Thought so," Harry said with a grin, and winked at Mr Patil, who shook his head.

"You're a braver man than I am, Harry," the man said, smiling slightly as they walked out of the room and into the Great Hall. He held out his hand. "Anyway, we have to go now."

Harry shook the man's hand, and he and the girls kept to the rear as Padma and Parvati bid goodbye to their family. After a quick detour to pick up both girls trunks and other things from their respective Houses, they walked into the bathroom that used to be Myrtle's.

"You_ do_ realize this is a girl's bathroom, right?" Padma asked. "We noticed it this yesterday, and now again."

"Of course I do," Harry said. "With all these women around me, I thought it safer for me to sneak into a girl's bathroom than it was for all of you to sneak into a boy's." He grinned, winked cheekily, then said, "The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is in Myrtle's bathroom."

Immediately, both Patils gasped at the unexpected appearance of the entrance to the Chamber. "This used to be a hideout of Salazar Slytherin, but Egyptian Magic has cleaned the place up quite a bit," he said, causing the rest of the girls to chuckle, and Padma and Parvati to smile. The good mood was contagious!

Half an hour later, the tour completed, they were all in the living room, chatting, all thoughts of homework and lessons forgotten as they all sat down to get to know each other.

Of course, that was when Hermione barged in, making declarations of missed lessons and homework. The entire group looked up at her, and the pushy Gryffindor stopped in her tracks.

"We're getting to know two new family members," Gabrielle said.

"Yeah, we're not really in the mood for more lessons," Tracey said with a saucy wink at the two new girls.

"Really, Hermione, have some tact," Tracey muttered.

"You know we love it when you help us, but right now, we should really get to know each other," Susan, ever the gentle soul, tried to placate Hermione.

"Have a seat, Mione," Harry said, waving his hand absentmindedly, an empty seat materializing as if by magic. Of course it _was_ magic, but neither Patil had yet seen him so casually throw his power around, and they gaped as Hermione actually _complied_, without complaint!

"In here, we're in private," Luna told Padma and Parvati. "None of us will hold back here. That's why Tonks is older, Harry conjures perfectly stable furniture out of thin air, and Hermione doesn't talk homework and lessons for once."

"Hey!" Hermione protested in her own defense. The other girls chuckled, and Hermione shook her head, trying unsuccessfully to hide the smile on her face.

"You girls are horrible," she declared.

Pansy grabbed hold of Harry's arm. "Run, Harry. I'll hold her off so she doesn't try and castrate you."

"Harry's innocent in all this, it's your girls who've corrupted him!" Hermione declared in Harry's defense, making the boy blush, and causing mock-angry glares to be formed by the other girls.

"I prefer to think we brought him out of his shell," Luna stated firmly, a ghost of a smile on her airy features. "After which, he did his best to return the favor on whatever corruption we tried to deal out."

"So, you're saying, you all have been a bad influence on each other?" Hermione asked.

"Exactly," Daphne said with a smile. "And that _includes_ you. Face it, a week ago, you'd be having conniptions about not studying."

Hermione muttered something darkly under her breath. The girls ignored her, turning their attention back to Padma and Parvati.

"So, girls," Harry leaned back on the couch, incidentally taking Ginny and Myrtle back with him as they were spooned up against him within his arms, "tell us about yourselves. Besides the obvious that is; twins, originally from India, one in Ravenclaw, the other in Gryffindor. Let's hash it all out, cause we want to get to know you."

"All right," the twins shared a look and smiled and spent the rest of the day telling their new 'family' about themselves and getting the same in return.

The evening ran late, and by the time they all crawled into bed, the Patil Twins had their heads spinning with so much new things they didn't even bother commenting on the Bedroom Fun outfits, nor to the fact that Luna and Tracey snuggled deep into Harry's arms as they lied down to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Poker Game**

Harry Potter and the others do not belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this, and I wouldn't be short on cash.

In this story, I'm making some assumptions on the value of the Galleon. Seeing as we are generally rather uninformed about prices in the wizarding world, I'm basing my assumptions on the end of book four. Harry gave Fred and George 1000 Galleons to open the joke shop. Assuming that the twins had some money of they own, and the money was enough to cover rent for at least a few months, as well as getting stock, inventory, and doing testing of various items, I'm assuming that 5000 Galleons is enough to buy a small house in the country, and 10,000 would get you a reasonably sized house.

_The Poker Game – an HP shortfic by Enterprise1701d and Joshua The Evil Guy_

**Chapter Nine**

Harry awoke earlier than usual, the excitement for the new magic waiting for him bringing him to the land of the living earlier than usual. As he woke, he was dimly aware of being on his side, rather than his back, and that his head was resting on top of something incredibly soft. Way too soft to be a pillow. He slowly cracked an eye open.

Yup. Way too soft.

In fact, he was now, firmly, entrenched upon Luna's chest, her soft bosom more than pillow enough for any red-blooded male. He swallowed. How was he going to talk himself out of _this_? He became aware of someone pressed deep against his back.

Tracey.

She, too, was on her side, pressed so close against him that he could feel every curve her beautiful body had. Too close for him to be able to turn on his back.

Slowly, he lifted his head, as to not disturb Luna, and managed to get his head back on a real pillow, at least. He really should get up... do something with the magic... in fact, he had to get up and do _something_ else, as to try and get any suspicion his subconscious may have caused him out of the way.

But, not yet.

He was still feeling nice and warm and comfortable in the arms of his girls, and he wanted the feeling to last just a little longer. Softly, he smiled at the cute faces the girls made while asleep, even if the only light came from the dim stars up on the enchanted sky of the Meadow View. He had decided against charming a moon up there... after all, full moons gave plenty of light, and he didn't want it to keep them up all night.

So, no moon, but rather, a very romantic, if he said so himself, starry expanse.

It took him nearly half an hour before he finally worked up the courage to get out of bed without disturbing anyone, which was quite a feat considering that Ginny was, once again, sleeping on top of most of them.

When he got out into the living room, he threw a look at an enchanted time piece on the mantle of the fireplace, and noted that it was barely half past five in the morning. Grunting to himself, he knew that he would be feeling the lack of sleep tonight. Even if it had been very comfortable, and he wasn't sure he had ever slept better.

He opened the briefcase, and slipped out a couple of books, and skimmed the titles. The titles didn't really appeal to him, so he floated them over to the three-quarters empty bookcase at the rear of the living room. He picked out a few more, and floated those over to the bookcase as well.

Suddenly, a grin spread on his features. Past Lives and their influence on Karma sounded like something that would quench his thirst. Maybe now he could find out what he'd done in his past life, to be _blessed_ with enough good Karma to cause it to quite literally shove a family down his throat.

He stopped after opening the cover, and glanced at the door to the bedroom. He really liked those girls, if only for the nagging feeling he still had somewhere that they were being forced... either by society, by contract, or by their own making, and the resulting contracts.

He sighed, shook his head, and started to read. Mechanically, he flipped a page. And another. And another.

Half an hour later, Hermione, her usually early-riser self, sleepily made her way out of the bedroom, only to be shocked right awake at the sight of Harry Potter, sitting in a cleared-out section of the living room, with three books open at various pages in front of him, a containment circle she didn't really want to contemplate around him.

His eyes were open, but focused so intently on the books that she was sure he hadn't noticed her. Quietly, she observed as he read the pages in front of him, then close his eyes, and incant in a language that vaguely resembled Sanskrit.

The next moment, he gasped, his eyes opening on their own accord, glowing a kaleidoscope of different colors, energy swirling around him.

The gasp drew on, long seconds ticking away before Hermione's shocked eyes as the spell finally died down, and Harry's gasp ended with a sharp expelling of breath. Breathing deeply, he stood up, and broke the circle. "Hello Hermione. Sleep well?" he asked.

"I did, actually," Hermione muttered. "But you apparently didn't..."

He grinned at her. "Actually, I slept well, too. Just got up about... half an hour ago, decided to read a little. These books are _awesome_. I modified this one spell to show me my past lives, I wanted to know why I had such good Karma." He smirked at her. "I did a lot of nasty shit in the name of Good. Seems like Karma cares about intentions more then what the government says you can and can't do. Oh, and resurrecting Myrtle? _SO_ a good thing!"

Hermione repeated his last words. _So a good thing?_ "Harry?" she asked, wondering where that particular phrase came from.

"Oh, sorry. Past life, turns out my soul actually wandered through California in the 60's." He shrugged. "Hence the modification, I didn't just want to know what I did during my past life,I wanted to _know_ what I _knew_ during my last life. Turns out I miscalculated just a bit and I now have the combined knowledge of _all_ of my past lives." He grinned, and looked down at the books. A single wave of his hand floated them into the bookcase. A second wave sent the rest of the books coming out of the magical briefcase. It appeared indeed that there were as many books as there were in the Hogwarts Library, as Harry hurriedly added a similar expansion charm on his bookcase as had been on the briefcase.

"Anyway," Harry went on, as if he didn't just copy a set of incredibly complex spells with a single wave of his hand... _during_ the execution of a mass-floating charm that was organizing his books. "I have this incredibly neat idea on modifying the Illusion Chamber!"

"Really?" Hermione asked, ignoring the lesser secrets for the larger ones.

Harry was practically _bouncing_. Whatever he had learned in his past lives must have done something with his personality, as well, because there was no way that Harry would be this cheerful _this_ early in the day! "Yep, yep!" he agreed with her. "_Really_ neat. Anyway, I'm going to have some fun! See ya!"

_See ya?_ Hermione thought in distaste. _Gee, that American accent is horrible. _"Harry!"

"Yeah, Herms?" he asked, stopping right in front of the door, wand out, looking over his shoulder with a stupid smirk on his face.

"Don't call me Herms!" she protested.

He shrugged. "You're more of a Herms than a Mione," he declared flatly, still grinning. "See ya!"

She bit off a sharp reply, and plastered a plastic smile on her face. "Can I watch?"

He stopped again, the grin gone, and a calculating look on his face. "If you're quiet, stay in the corner, and don't move. We don't want a repeat of what happened with Myrtle, do we?"

She shrugged, then nodded. He smiled. "In that case, welcome aboard the _Harry Express of Unruly Magic_," he declared, offering her his arm. For just a moment, she didn't know whether to laugh, blush, or berate him. Finally settling on the first two, she laughed, flushed bright red, and grabbed his arm as he opened the door to the Illusion Chamber, and showed her to a corner. "Stay," he muttered with a smile.

"Woof," she replied candidly.

"If you're nice, you'll get a nice new collar," he answered without missing a beat, making her color bright red as he closed his eyes, and brandished his wand. Immediately, the magic started to rise around him, and Hermione kept quiet, feeling a tremor shoot through her very Magical Core, as if she were a tiny magnet feeling the effects of a huge magnetic field approaching. The tremor increased in strength, and Hermione pressed herself into the corner as Harry's lips started to move.

As the power built and waned, only to build higher, then wane again, Harry kept his eyes closed and his mind firmly on his goal. The Soul Magics of the Indian nation had done their job, unlocking the very power that rested within his past lives, the bountiful knowledge and limitless power his Soul possessed as it had traveled through the ages, making sacrifices in the name of good, only to have it all rewarded here and now.

No longer did he curse Karma. He had seen and done too much for him to do so. In its stead was a healthy dose of respect, as well a bone-deep weariness of what the crazy force had up its proverbial sleeve.

He ignored the door opening and closing. A distant fragment of his consciousness thought that Hermione must have left, but still he did not break his attention. It had happened once. Never again.

The power continued to cycle, and Harry drew a deep breath before expelling it all in a single gasp, a guttural word of power laced through the breath as his magic reached out and touched the Illusion Chamber, forever changing it.

Feeling the power drain from his very core, he gasped for breath as the spell continued to build, a dull tremor going through the surrounding area. His mind ignored the byplay of tectonic forces, and grasped at the last vestiges of power remaining within his core.

As the spell continued, and the changes crept forward through the fabric of the Illusion Chamber, he just _knew_ he wasn't going to make it.

He needed more power.

Unseeing eyes snapped open, desperately looking _beyond_, struggling, trying, grasping, to find power. _Somewhere_.

Another tremor went through the underground, and Harry let loose a growl as his vision wavered; his power was waning, fast, and his very magic knew it. Struggling against his own magic, trying to cut the spell loose in a desperate bid to save himself, Harry grasped for the one thing he was not expecting to find.

_Ley Lines_.

Grasping the power offered freely by the very Ley Lines that powered Hogwarts' Wards, Harry dumped pure, raw, unchanneled power straight into the spell.

The room felt oppressive as he struggled to breathe through the thick murk that was the magic-tainted air in the Illusion Chamber, yet Harry ignored the physical difficulties as he struggled for cohesion in his thoughts and mind, forcing his focus on the end result.

_It needs to be interactive._

_It needs to be adaptive._

_It needs to interact physically with the world._

_It needs to _think_._

_It needs to _learn_._

Harry closed his eyes, and channeled, properly, for the first time, the sheer raw force that was the Magic of the Universe, as provided by the Ley Lines.

Power built up, higher and higher, not cycling up and down, but building continuously as the final stage of the spell came to fruition. A final thunderclap later had Harry gasp, the spell discontinuing.

Slowly, the oppressive magic in the air started to die out. "Chamber," Harry muttered.

A gold-glowing faintly-humanoid-looking form built itself up in front of Harry, seemingly consisting out of golden light, a ghostly form of light, as if existing without physical form.

"My Lord?" the form inquired, the voice resounding through the Illusion Chamber, male and female, young and old at the same time, encompassing each and every quality of human speech.

"Who are you?"

The form was silent, before it vibrated slightly, as if trying to figure out the best answer to that question. Slowly, the golden-light-shape started to shift, feet touching the floor for the first time, before coagulating into a more pronounced human form.

It grew smaller, stockier, a definite change from the long, drawn-out, and downright inhumanly skinny form it had held before. Slowly, the form solidified, becoming a definite human female form. Inexorably, it continued to form, the defining features the last to materialize.

Finally, it looked human. Dressed in a white toga-like garment, a golden clasp holding the fabric closed over each shoulder, the form was perfect. _Too_ perfect. Equally perfect was its face, bright green eyes, like Harry's, peering out at a world they had not beheld before. A perfect set of lips with an inhumanly perfect nose built up the rest of her face, as a set of bright red curls framed her head, hiding the figure's ears.

"My name is Claudia, My Lord," the figure finally stated, at last answering Harry question.

"You have chosen this form and this name, then?" he asked.

The figure bowed her head. "Yes, My Lord."

Harry nodded. "Why are you?"

Claudia cocked her head. "I think, therefore I am," she replied, as if by rote. "This I know... but this I do not understand," she added with a small, delicate frown. "Why am I, My Lord?"

"You are because I just made you," he muttered, sounding somewhat unhappy suddenly.

Claudia nodded. "Why did you make me, My Lord?"

"Because I needed a way to interact with Magic, myself, this room, and the world at large," Harry replied truthfully. "But I did not expect... you."

Claudia was silent. "How so, My Lord?" she asked after a terse five-second silence.

"You... you are more alive than I thought you would be. The spell needed more magic than I thought. Something... something happened, and I am not sure what. Already, you're questioning your existence. Like us humans."

Claudia nodded, closed her eyes, and seemed to focus. The room blurred, the walls vanishing as the Illusion took hold. Grids of energy built up around them, equations flashing in and out of existence. "The spell you used was massive, My Lord. It tremors still, across the magical realms. The Ley Lines are shaking with its force. Every magical creature within a hundred kilometer radius has fled." She reopened her eyes, and looked at Harry. "What was your focus, My Lord?"

"I wanted a representative of the magic of this room, an avatar if you will," Harry said. "Built from Magic, to help me understand it, to help me interact with the spells built into this room. I wanted that avatar to be interactive, to be able to interact with the world, even if it was within the confines of this room, and I wanted it to be able to think and learn."

Claudia nodded. "I think, and I learn," she explained. "And I interact, both with you and the world. Within this room, or without, I can reach to the furthest corners of this world, carried on the wings of the Ley Lines. Your focus built me, My Lord."

"And it's made you alive," Harry muttered.

Claudia nodded. "And so it did. I came into being, an existence built for a very clear purpose." She swept her arms. "I am your avatar, your key to magic. Ask, and I shall do my best to provide."

Harry sighed, wishing he could sink to the ground. Suddenly, he found himself seated upon _the_ most comfortable chair he had ever sat upon. As he gazed questioningly at her, the redhead smiled slightly. "You looked tired."

He nodded. "Thanks, Claudia."

"You are welcome, My Lord."

"Are you really alive?" he finally asked.

"What is life, My Lord? I can feel... emotions." she frowned. "I think. It is confusing. I do know I do not like confusion, so I am pretty sure I can feel emotions." Her face cleared. "That's one paradox resolved. I feel confusion, therefore I feel, therefore I do not need to feel confusion. So, if you base your definition of life upon emotions, then yes, I am alive. I can interact, with you, the world, and magic. However, I do not believe I am capable of pain... nor of death. I was not born, but made, by my creator. If you base your definition on biology, then no, My Lord, I am not alive. And I am feeling confused again. I must ponder this subject. It is fascinating, but confusing."

Harry nodded, ignoring the statement about being built by a creator. The last thing he wanted was to be labeled 'God'. He opened his mouth for another question.

"Hold it!"

Harry shuddered, and finally looked at the now-no-longer-visible corner where Hermione had been. And still was. Along with all the others. He swallowed. He had ignored the door opening and closing multiple times. How was he to know that everyone had come in, rather than Hermione walking out. In fact, all of them looked shocked, apart from Luna, who was smiling slightly, and Hermione, who looked halfway between 'pissed off' and 'shocked out of her mind'.

"What did you do this time, Harry James Potter!?" she screamed.

"I built an avatar," Harry muttered, motioning for Claudia. "Claudia, meet the girls. Girls, meet Claudia."

Claudia turned toward them entire group, and curtsied low. "My Ladies," she declared.

"You can't just build life, Harry!"

Claudia turned to him, confused. "My Lord? Do I not exist?"

Harry nodded at her. "You exist, Claudia."

Claudia turned to Hermione. "I exist, My Lady," Claudia declared to Hermione. "Therefore, My Lord Created me." She cocked her head. "I chose my own image, so I can not declare he created me in his image. Although my decision _was_ influenced by it."

Hermione was struck silent as Claudia turned back to Harry. "How did I know that?" she asked. "I believe it came from a non-magical book."

"It's a book called the Bible," Harry said, nodding. "And you're supposed to learn, Claudia. I gave you everything I know."

Claudia nodded once more. "I understand, My Lord. And I did not know because your transfer happened before you became aware of it."

He sighed, and nodded. "Anyway, time for one last test, then I think I'm going for breakfast. I'm starving. And exhausted." He frowned. "I don't know which urge to satisfy first, the urge to eat, or the urge to sleep."

"The need for food is more pressing, I believe, My Lord," Claudia replied.

"Please, call me Harry," Harry muttered. "That 'Lord' crap is getting on my nerves."

"My apologies, Harry. You _are_ my creator, I merely wished to be polite." She blinked. "I somehow knew you would react worse to 'Master'."

He shuddered. "Got that right," he declared in a distinctly American drawl. He shook his head, and resumed in a British accent. "Claudia, can you scan me, find any defects, and try to heal them."

"Harry!" Hermione screeched, finally finding her voice once more.

"Hermione!" Harry screamed back, finding it a good tactic to use when the girls screamed at him. She blinked, before resuming in a calmer tone.

"What have you done, Harry? You can't... as in, you shouldn't,... just _create_ life. And... and... what did you mean with your order?"

"It was an _accident_, Herms," Harry muttered. "And Claudia can scan, using magic, on a level that is far deeper than any scan has ever reached before. As she's tied in to the three Ley Lines running beneath Hogwarts, she has unlimited power at her disposal. And as she is able to learn, and deduce, things, she can also heal just about any injury."

Claudia dipped her head. "My Lord gives me too much credit."

Harry frowned at her. Claudia smiled slightly. "Sorry."

"Cheeky wench," he muttered.

"I am what you made me," the Magical Intelligence replied.

"Pointing out your creator's faults, _so_ not a good thing," Harry said with a smirk.

"Then _unmake_ me," she challenged with a grin.

"Too much hassle," he shot back, then frowned. "Is killing your own creation considered murder?"

"Depends," Claudia shot back, ignoring the gasp coming from Hermione and the others girls, who watched the verbal spar as if it were a tennis match, too shocked to enter a word. "If I am alive, then yes, it might be considered murder. Although I do not think my status as _alive_ had been proven... worst case scenario, I believe you would be fined for willful destruction of property."

Harry shook his head. "I so didn't want to hear that," he muttered, standing up, walking over to the redhead, and startling the living daylights out of her by drawing her into a hug. "You're a member of the family now. Never think any less of yourself."

A shudder went through the being, and she slowly brought her arms up, hugging him back. "Thank you, Harry."

As the separated, he winked at her. "You're welcome, Claudia. Now, about that scan?"

"Of course, Harry," she said, as the wall behind her was replaced with a total obscuring darkness, which suddenly displayed what appeared to be a wire-frame model of Harry's body, two circles running up and down, filling in the details of the wireframe model.

"You appear to be in excellent health, Harry", Claudia remarked five seconds later. "Although your magical core is exhausted, your body is showing minor signs of starvation... both now and in the past... and there is an anomaly on in your forehead." She frowned. "Curious. I can't determine what the anomaly is."

"So I should eat, sleep, and let you figure out what wrong with my head?" Harry asked.

The wall behind Claudia shifted, showing an in-detail representation of Harry's head. An area started blinking, coinciding with a certain lightning-bolt-shaped scar. "It is linked to your scar. I am having problems penetrating an obscuring field surrounding it, and my knowledge is limited. I need to know more."

"There's a whole library next door, and the library of Hogwarts upstairs," Harry suggested. "And if those don't work, I'm sure you can find references to other libraries you can read."

Claudia nodded. "You should go and have breakfast, Harry. Then go to class, and get some rest. I'll figure out the rest."

"Go to class and have some rest?" Hermione demanded, hands on her hips.

"Of course," Claudia answered, completely disregarding Hermione's anger. "Classes are not taxing, magically, so it's an ideal period for Harry to recuperate. If he hung around here, he'd be squeezing yet more magic from his core."

Harry muttered something under his breath.

"Now that's not a nice thing to say," Luna admonished. "Claudia is trying to help you."

"And besides, only family has the right to interfere in your life and boss you around," Claudia replied, smiling slightly and winking at Luna. The blond smiled slightly in the MI's direction.

As they walked out, ready to go to breakfast, Harry tuned out the girl's excited chattering around him. He felt dead-tired, as if his head had been stuffed full of Egyptian Linen, and he wanted nothing more than to pig out, then sleep for the next fortnight. As they entered the living room, Darryn was waiting for them, an imperial look on the owl's features, a golden scroll in front of him.

Harry swallowed, and grabbed the scroll. He sighed, then opened it, and started reading.

"_Magister Maximus_ Harry James Potter. Today at six-forty Ante Meridiem, we have detected that you performed a class-zero act of Pure Necromancy, and have created a fully sentient above-golem-class construct out of pure magic. This act, the highest act possible in the Arts of Necromancy, has classified you for the title, _Magister Maximus_, within the ranks of Necromancy. As the last remaining Necromancer, you have now attained its ultimate rank. Should any new Necromancers arise, you are allowed to call yourself their leader, and they must, in turn, swear allegiance to you."

"Necromantic Protocol will remain in effect, its strict policies enforced to the full extent of the laws of the Ministry of Magic of Great Britain, and indeed, the other Magical Governments of the world."

"Your sincerely,

"Mathilda Bagshot, Strange and Unusual Magic Office."

"Magister Maximus, huh?" Ginny said with a smirk in Harry's direction. The boy grunted.

"As if I needed yet more titles," he muttered.

"Come on, Harry! Can you honestly say that you don't enjoy the fact that you hold some mystical titles, have access to more ancient magic than a single person has had access to since Merlin, and that you wield influence in both the economic, the magical, and the political arenas?" Daphne asked, grinning widely. "Imagine the punishments you can exact on Lucius Malfoy _now_."

Harry shrugged, then nodded once. "You're right," he said, a slow smirk rising on his lips.

Suddenly, the Slytherin witch was around his neck, and kissed him. "I'm always right," she said with a cheeky grin. "And have I told you how impressed I was when you built Claudia?"

"Hey! Share!" Pansy suddenly yelled, jumping in, kissing Harry as well. Suddenly, Harry found himself on the floor as all the girls stole a kiss, laughing and squealing as they told him how proud they were of him, how impressed they were, and so on.

Despite himself and his exhaustion, Harry smiled and laughed with them.

Not ten minutes later, he was seated at the breakfast table, the girls all around him, still chattering excitedly about the morning's events. Harry ignored them, preferring to focus his thoughts on the food in front of him. In fact, Ginny and Luna, seated next to him, actually had to work in tandem, filling plates as Harry emptied them. For once, even Ron stared as Harry played human garbage disposal.

His magic, what little he had left of it, immediately tore into the nutrients the moment the food hit his stomach, and Harry literally felt himself getting better as energy hit his system.

"Bloody Hell," Ron cursed silently at the sight.

"Eventful morning," Harry muttered with a mouth full of bacon, eggs, kippers, and half, a glass worth of orange juice.

"Ew! Swallow, then talk!" Hermione shouted.

Harry shrugged, swallowed the mess in a single gulp, turned to her, and spoke with a completely empty mouth. "And here I was, all proud of myself for being able to sound perfectly understandable with all of that in my mouth."

"It's disgusting, that's what it is!" Hermione declared.

Harry shrugged again, then hoovered up the rest of the food on his fourth plate, and pushed it away. "Desert?" Luna asked, holding out some apple slices.

Harry seemed to think it over, before grinning, and taking the offered fruit. Two apples (from Luna) and three bananas (from Ginny) later, Harry patted his stomach, finally sated.

"Bloody Hell," Ron repeated. "Must've been one eventful morning, mate."

"You have no idea," Hermione declared flatly, glaring at Harry. "Harry broke the rules of magic. _Again_. And he's not even sorry!"

Harry shrugged. "Sorry?" he offered.

"You don't even mean it, Harry James Potter," Hermione said, crossing her arms, and continuing to glare at him.

"What'd you do, mate? I haven't seen her that put out since you rose Myrtle from the dead," Ron asked.

Harry turned to him, wondering what to say, when Ron caught his eyes, and seemed to pale. "You didn't raise another girl from the dead, did you Harry?" he grunted, covered his face with his hand, and asked, "Who's it this time? The Grey Lady? Granted, she doesn't look half-bad..."

"_No_, I didn't raise the dead!" Harry declared.

Myrtle smiled, reached over the table, and squeezed Harry's cheek. "That's one's mine," she stated.

Harry chuckled.

"Then... what?" Ron asked.

Harry muttered something under his breath. "What was that, mate? I didn't hear you," his best friend asked.

"I... kinda... you know... UsedMagicToCreateLife."

"Huh?" Ron asked, still confused. "You did what?"

"Harry built a fully sentient life form out of magic," Luna translated.

Ron drew pale, stared from the unusual blond to Harry, back to Luna, back to Harry, and finally settled on Hermione. "Hermione... don't tell me..."

"Yup," the brunette muttered, looking as if she wanted to bang her head against the table. "Harry here played God. And actually succeeded."

"Bloody Hell!" Ron cursed. Loudly.

"_Mister_ Weasley!" Professor McGonagall shouted from half a Great Hall away. "Perhaps you would care to enlighten us why you are cursing up a storm?"

"Eh... I... eh..." Ron turned as red as his hair, but even _he_ knew he shouldn't be telling what he had just heard. Somehow, nobody else had heard Luna's declaration, and he knew he should keep it that way. "I stubbed my toe. Hurts like blo... hurts, that does," he muttered.

"Perhaps next time you will see Madam Pomfrey rather than curse out loud," the Professor stated, although her voice was no longer as cold as it had been.

"Yes, Professor," Ron whispered, his face still as red as his hair. As the attention of the other students drifted away, he turned to look back at Harry. "You know I have to say it, right mate?"

Harry nodded resignedly, and waved his hand. "Get it over with, then, mate," he said, although a small smile appeared on his lips.

"Not just happy with living girls... or resurrected ones... now you have to build new ones, too?"

Harry grinned. "Well, not my fault she chose 'human female' as her form. She could have chosen anything she wanted," he said, still grinning, thinking it a pretty good defense. Ron just shook his head, not able to believe his own ears.

"You'll need to introduce me, mate."

"Of course," Harry said. "After class."

Ron nodded his acceptance. "Come on, mate," Harry said. "Let's get to class. Wouldn't want to piss off Snape by being late."

"Like he needs a reason to be pissed off at us," his friend muttered, shooting a cold glare at the Head Table, where said Professor had finished his own breakfast. As the girls dispersed, only the sixth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins staying with them, the group made their way to class.

Right before they got there, Snape cornered them.

"So, _Magister Maximus_ Potter, not just happy with a single Necromantic title, are we? May I ask what laws of nature and magic you perverted this time in order to gain some extra notoriety?"

Harry shrugged. "If you have to know, _perfesser,_ I just screwed with life, that's all," he replied with the most basal American drawl he could get on short notice and without bursting out laughing.

Snape's right eye ticked at the American accent. "Speak like normal people, Potter. That American hogwash is making you sound even more like an attention seeking git than you normally are."

"Actually," Harry said, switching instantly to some high-class Oxford accent, "I wonder what the Ministry for Magic would say, should your debasing comments come to their ears. After all, they were quite clear and respectful to me this morning, when they sent me notification of my promotion."

Snape blinked. "As if the Ministry would side with one such as-"

"If not the Ministry, _Heer_ Professor, perhaps the press would be very interested in hearing what I have to say about a certain Death Eater spy in our midst. And I am not talking about that _dwaze malloot_, Draco Malfoy. I already dealt with him. I am sure Tom Riddle reads the Daily Prophet, just like everybody else."

Snape grew pale. "Are you daft? Saying that out loud..."

Once again, Harry cut the man off, switching accents again. "If you haven't learned by now, Professor, I am not a little boy anymore. I fight dirty. I fight to win. Win for now, and win forever. If Tom comes after you, I'm sure that would be the last time I ever lay eyes on you, which would be a good way to rid myself of a greasy blight on the fabric of existence that has been grating on my nerves since first year. Of course, should said stain get its act together, _teach_, not show any bias, and _stay the hell out of my fucking way_, then perhaps neither the press nor Tom would ever find out said grease stain's dirty little secret."

Snape was struck silent, before looking around fearfully, relaxing slightly when he was nobody but Harry, Ron, Hermione, Pansy, Daphne, and Tracey. "I should kill you where you stand, Potter."

"And I should report you, Professor," Harry replied, calmly, as if his life just hadn't been threatened.

Snape actually _growled_, spun around, and strode to his classroom.

"We should go, too. He's likely to call us _late_ if we arrive after he does," Harry said, starting to walk.

Ron burst out laughing, the witches soon following suit. "Oh, man, that was brilliant, Harry! Bloody brilliant! Where did you learn to speak in so many different accents? I swear, he was going to have a coronary just from hearing you switch from one to the other, never knowing which one would be next!"

Harry grinned. "I'll tell you later. When I introduce you," he said with a teasing smirk.

They arrived for class with a whole ten minutes to spare, but still found the door practically slammed shut in their faces, the greasy Potions Professor actually having the gall to deduct ten points. Each. The Slytherins, not happy with how Snape took ten points for being on time from them, stared angrily at the man as the lesson progressed.

Snape was quite used to glares.

On the other hand, he was not at all accustomed to cheerful smirks on his student's faces, and that was exactly what Harry had plastered on his face. It was the most ruthless, devilish, I-can-hardly-wait-to-see-you-fry kind of smirk Harry had ever produced, and judging from Snape's shiver whenever he looked in his direction, it was doing its job.

Adding a downright scary twinkle to his eyes was the icing on the cake. Snape forgot what he was saying three times in a row... in the middle of the same sentence. He stumbled over his own feet, and nearly fell. He mixed up three potions ingredients, having the students brew the most dangerous poison known to man, instead of something to clear the gutter.

In short, Snape was acting like Quirrell used to, and the effect would have been comical, if only the other students weren't still scared to kingdom come of the man.

Harry couldn't care less, and continued to stare into the Potions Master's eyes whenever he could achieve eye contact. In fact, he never even blinked. The result was unnerving to the extreme. For Snape.

Halfway through the lesson, a giggle escape Daphne. Snape twirled at her, and opened his mouth.

_Family_, Harry coughed not-so-subtly.

Snape lost his train of thought before his tirade even got off the ground, and focused on Harry.

Big mistake, the boy was still sneering at him.

Snape shuddered, turned, and continued his lesson... repeating the last ten minutes of his lecture.

Daphne bit her bottom lip not to burst out laughing. Pansy's eyes were running with tears, and Tracey was biting hard in her quill's end, actually destroying the swan-feather she used as writing implement. Hermione had a smile on her face, her eyes were narrow slits of repressed mirth, but the girl had one advantage over the Slytherins... She had been Harry's friend for years, and had some experience in keeping her cool. Ron, also Harry's friend for years, was not so lucky, and was chortling silently, trying to keep himself under control.

Just as Snape was finally going to get to a new part, the class was interrupted once more.

Claudia appeared in the middle of the classroom in a twinkling of lights, twirled around to looked at everything and everybody, before stopping, facing Harry. Two strides had her in front of him, and it was only then that he realized that she was incorporeal, a projection using magic. Her physical form, as he had thought, would be unable to leave the Chamber of Secrets, her very substance dissipating once she crossed his wards.

"I bring grave news, Harry," she stated, ignoring the spluttering Potions Master and the gaping students. "I have finished my study. The reference was found in a seal book of Dark Soul Magic in the Magical Library of Congress."

"Oh?" Harry asked, actually sounding interested, the first time he had sounded so since the class started. "Pray tell, Claudia, what is it?"

"A Horcrux," the redhead stated.

"A horcrux," Harry repeated.

"Yes, a horcrux," Claudia confirmed.

"A horcrux?" Harry asked, a genuine smile appearing on his lips.

Claudia nodded, a merry twinkle appearing in her eyes as well. "A horcrux."

"Oh, alright already!" Hermione screamed. "What's a horcrux, and will you two cut that out!"

"It is a piece of a soul, split through cold-blooded murder and a dark ritual, infused within a physical object. The theory is, should the main body die, then the soul-fragment would enable whoever cast the spell to return," Claudia summarized. "It is dark and evil magic, banned in all civilized countries. Of course, that did not stop Voldemort."

Shudders and squeaked exclamations permeated the room. "Can you remove it?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Claudia stated with absolute conviction. "I hold now the combined knowledge of the... library in our quarters, the Hogwarts Library, the Magical Library of Alexandria, and the Magical Library of Congress. For good measure, I read the non-magical sections of the Library of Congress and the Library of Alexandria as well. Non-magicals are fascinating in their inventiveness."

Harry nodded. "That they are," he said, standing up. "Come on, Claudia. You've got an operation to do."

"Mister Potter!" Snape snarled.

Claudia stepped around him, graceful and forceful, flowing in her stride in a manner that was decidedly inhuman. "Magister – Maximus," she stated, coldly. "Father's name should not be tarnished by the likes of you, vile creature. You shall address him by his proper title, Magister Maximus, as granted to him when reaching the ultimate level of Necromancy, the creation of a fully sentient intelligence. Me."

Snape stood there, gaping for a few seconds, before turned a vile, puce-like purple color Harry remembered seeing on the face of his uncle Vernon. It looked decidedly unhealthy, and he wondered whether Claudia would be able to kill the Potions Master due to inducing cardiac arrest.

"And just what might you be, then?" he snarled back.

Claudia pulled back her shoulders, her spine ramrod straight as she jammed her nose into the air. "I am the Magical Intelligence known as Claudia."

"Probably as useless as Potter-"

In retrospect, Snape knew he should have listened the first time she told him to use Harry's title.

Claudia's right hand made a single, jerking, angry-looking motion, and the very room they were in quivered as the magic responded.

The Snape-sized hole in the wall looked decidedly comical, as if it had run out of a muggle cartoon. The pained groan was a lot less funny, as the Potions Master sounded as if he were in the most excruciating pain.

"Claudia," Harry muttered.

"Yes, Harry?"

"You shouldn't hit a man to cause him pain. You should hit the git so he will stay away from us. Hurting him causes resentment... you should cause him fear instead."

"I have a lot left to learn, Harry," Claudia muttered with a small smile on her lips. "Are you angry with me?" she then asked, actually looking as if she were pouting.

Harry shook his head. "Not angry. Merely explaining a lesson. Besides, it isn't as if Snape didn't deserve it." He then walked to the Snape-sized hole, and peered through it. "It looks as if you broke about half his bones, and he's bleeding quite heavily." He waved his hand. "I stopped the lethal bleeding. Wouldn't want him dying," he said, withdrawing his head, and grinning at Claudia. "Come on, you've got a horcrux to remove from my forehead."

Claudia dipped her head, and smiled widely. As they were about to leave, Harry looked at the stunned class, most of them unable to believe Harry's good luck. "Aren't you coming?" he asked his girls, shooting a small glance at Ron as well, showing him he was welcome too.

"It's not like we're going to be missing class," he said, grinning widely, the first to actually up on his feet and sprinting to the front. The others were slightly calmer, although Tracey wasn't far behind Ron, and Hermione and Pansy were walking leisurely.

"Anyway," Harry said as they strode to the bathroom that housed the entrance to his private residence. "Claudia, meet Ron. Ron, Claudia."

"Pleased to meet you," Claudia stated in a friendly tone.

"Eh... likewise," Ron muttered, blushing faintly as the too-perfect-to-be-human girl smiled at him. He turned to look at Harry. "Mate? What's a Magical Intelligence?"

Harry smirked. "Claudia."

Ron rolled his eyes, and looked at Claudia. "I don't suppose you'd give me a straight answer?" he asked.

The magical redhead shrugged. "If Father doesn't want to tell you, who am I to spoil his fun?" Giggles followed from Tracey and Daphne, while Pansy and Hermione just smiled at the look on Ron's face.

"_Father_?" he finally choked out in Harry's direction.

Harry chortled. "Yup. I kinda over-focused. I wanted to create a human-like interface to communicate better with the Illusion Chamber. Of course, I wanted it to be able to think and learn. Turns out, Magic had different ideas." Harry finally frowned, and glanced around. "It's strange. No-one's tried the 'saved my life' trick on me today." He glanced at the girls. "Maybe one of you should try and get the others together... I'm sure they'd like to be there when Claudia removes my... horcrux."

"Harry!" Hermione scolded. "You can't just pull everyone out of class! Some of them have OWLs and NEWTs to prepare for!"

Harry looked at _his_ girls. "Do you think they'd mind?"

The trio of Slytherins shook their head. "Not in the least," Tracey muttered, glaring in Hermione's direction. "You're our family." The bushy Gryffindor shuddered at the look.

"In that case, would you mind trying to get them home?" he asked. "Meanwhile, I'll mess with Ron's mind some more. It's fun."

"Hey!" Ron protested good-naturedly.

As the trio of Slytherins rushed off, going to different classrooms in order to find the rest of the family, Harry put an arm around Ron's shoulders, and guided the Gryffindor further along the hall. "Anyway, magic had a different idea, and decided to build me... Claudia. Of course, she can _act_ like the interface I wanted, but she's so much more. She's actually a being of magic, alive and sentient." he removed his arm, and shrugged. "So, I kinda played God."

Ron goggled. "K-Kinda?"

Harry nodded. "Magic helped."

"Harry, magic isn't sentient! It can't _decide_ to help you! _You_ cast the spell, _you_ are responsible!" Hermione shouted.

"Sure, yell louder, Herms. Perhaps the Slytherin firsties up in the dungeons didn't hear you," Harry muttered as Hermione shut up, turned red as a tomato. Whether it was in anger over him calling her that nickname, or in embarrassment, not even she knew. Harry looked back at Ron. "If not magic, then certainly Karma. That crazy force is actually nuttier than I thought." He glanced at Claudia. "Not only is it giving me girls... now it's giving me _children_, too."

Claudia grinned wide, her form shifting to that of a six-year old. Before Harry could recover from his shock, she grabbed his hand, and started pulling him. Three paces later, Harry planted his feet. "Oh, hell, no. You're _not_ going to be acting like a bratty six-year-old!"

Claudia burst out crying, screaming loudly. Harry turned beet-red, trying desperately to shush the girl, unsuccessfully, until he gathered his courage and picked her up. The incorporeal illusion weighed nothing, but still hitched a ride up as he straightened. Claudia stopped screaming immediately, before putting her head on his shoulder.

Harry groaned, while Hermione and Ron laughed loudly.

"The look on your face, mate!" Ron laughed. "Worth a million Galleons!"

Claudia shifted out of Harry's arms, resuming her adult look. "I'm learning fast, no?" she asked with a stupid grin on her face.

Harry shook his head. "You're incorrigible."

"If I am, it's because you _made_ me like that," the retorted. Harry shrugged.

"Maybe I'll need to make sure I don't repeat that mistake when I am building Claudia, version two-point-oh."

"You'd replace me?" Claudia asked, suddenly looking like an adorably cute six-year-old again, and staring at him with huge puppy eyes. Harry groaned.

"Great. _Another_ one. As if Luna's puppy-dog eyes aren't enough," he muttered.

"Do I have competition?" Luna asked, walking up with Ginny next to her, looking at the six-year-old Claudia. "Very good competition, I see," she added, before bending down in front of the girl. She touched the illusion's face. "Suck a little on your left cheek, it'll create an adorable dimple. Pout out your bottom lip a little... no, that's too much. Better. Now blink slowly, as if you're trying not to cry. Perfect! He won't be able to resist you."

In the background, more and more of the girls were walking up as Luna explained 'pouting' and 'the puppy-eye stare' at Claudia, staring with open mouth as the blond explained it as almost a science. Finally, she turned around, and stepped away. "Can you say no to that face, Harry?" she asked with a small smile on her airy face.

Harry glanced down, and almost felt his heart break. The look was so much more powerful on a six-year-old. He groaned, covered his face with his hand, and turned to walk into the bathroom. "Manipulative wenches," he muttered under his breath.

"And you love us for it," Luna said as she smiled slightly at the mature-one-more Claudia. The MI nodded respectfully at the strange and unusual blond.

As Harry moved to open the door to their home, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott walked in, the last of the girls to assemble. Harry looked inquisitively at Hannah, then shrugged. Susan trusted the girl, that was good enough for him. The entire group walked down to the shelter, and found seating wherever they could. Couches and chairs were claimed, and Harry found himself perched on the armrest of one of the couches, if only because he couldn't be arsed to drag over another chair or couch.

"I've explained to Ron who and what Claudia is," Harry said. "Hannah, has Susan told you anything?"

"I wasn't about to let her come alone," the Hufflepuff answered. "Especially not after Pansy said it was some kind of family emergency. Susan explained underway."

"Good, that saves me the trouble of repeating myself," he said with a grin. "Anyway, Claudia found out that the strange thing in my forehead is a horcrux... think, split soul, then attach the part you just split off to a physical object. We think it was Voldemort's way of insuring immortality. Mucking around with a soul is dark enough, but the fact that you need cold-blooded murder to accomplish it just eats the cake. Claudia's found a way to get it out of me, and I thought you'd all like to be there for the big event."

"You make such a theater out of everything, Father," Claudia muttered. "It's thirty or so seconds of work, and you won't even feel it. Not until that thing is gone, anyway."

"Well, we're still glad that he's decided not to exclude us," Ginny declared. "There was a time he'd just clam shut and cut us out."

"You've trained me," Harry said with a small smile.

"Better than we could have trained any owl," Tonks declared, causing the assembled girls to chuckle.

"Drop the schoolgirl act, Tonkie. You're not fooling anyone anyway," Harry shot back, grinning slightly as the seventh-year Tonks shifted to her adult form.

"Oh! Oh!" Claudia said, grinning. "I can do that, too!" She shifted from about eighteen to mid-twenties, then back again.

Harry shook his head as Tonks grinned, and shot the MI a thumbs-up. "You like that shifting trick too much, Claudia."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud, Harry," Ginny said with a grin. "She's enjoying herself. And we're enjoying her enjoying herself."

"And the fact that she's focusing on me during said enjoyment has nothing to do with it, I suppose?" Harry asked levelly.

"Of course not," Cho said with an impish smile. "That's pure and sheer lucky coincidence."

Harry shook his head, and looked at Claudia. "Just go ahead with this, before I lose my nerve," he told her. He still felt tired, and didn't really feel up to bantering any longer. Fun as the banter was, the day was catching up to him, fast.

Clauda dipped her head, and flowed towards him, her regal gait too smooth to be called 'walking'. For a few moments, she stared into his eyes, before cupping his head in her hands to stabilize it. Her green eyes sparked with inner fire, and ancient words rolled off her lips as they barely moved in a harsh whisper.

Harry was eerily silent, unable to focus a single conscious thought as he stared into Claudia's glowing eyes. When the eye contact finally broke, he blinked rapidly, shaking his head for just a few moments, trying to clear his thoughts.

He blinked again, then a look of utter amazement appeared on his features. "It's like a headache is finally gone," he whispered in shock. "I never knew how much that thing weighed on me." Claudia smiled, and dipped her head.

Before she could say something, he was upon her, hugging her tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much," he muttered. She patted his back affectionately as she hugged him.

"You're very welcome, Harry."

"Now you know how we feel, Harry," Luna said. "And now that you're free... are you finally going to ravish me?"

"Luna," Harry said with a playful smile.

"Harry," she replied on the same time, matching his inclination perfectly, causing a few of the present girls to chuckle.

"I think you know the answer to that," he replied, now it became apparent she would wait for an answer until the world ended.

"Oh, poo," the girl muttered, actually looking faintly angry as she crossed her arms. "You'll knock up magic with your bastard daughter, but refuse to touch a girl who throws herself at you."

"Excuse me?" Harry muttered, unable to believe his ears.

"Knock up," Luna repeated. "Magic. The proof's right there." She pointed off-handedly at Claudia.

Harry rubbed his forehead. "That's not a very nice thing to say," he said, unable to believe his gentle First would ever be so openly hostile toward him or Claudia. He glanced at Claudia, who was watching him with an amused look on her face. Alright, so she wasn't taking it as an insult. He rubbed his forehead harder.

"Then what would you like me to say, Harry?" Luna asked with a left of her left eyebrow. "Impregnate? Inseminate? Fertilize? Fecundate? Or would you prefer the more basal terms? Bang up? Prang up? Pupped? Stuffed? Preggered? Hatched an egg in the dragon nest? Spread the Egyptian Flu? Joined the pudding club? Up the kite? Up the pole? Up the spout? Up the duff? Put a bun in the oven? Baking cookies? Caulked the pipes?"

"That's _enough_ Luna!" Hermione finally shouted.

"I did _not_-" Harry stopped as his voice started to raise into a shout. "I did not... impregnate... Magic."

"You claimed Magic helped, mate," Ron said, grinning at the furious look his best friend shot him. "I'd say it helped more than you told us."

Harry remained silent, unable to get a comeback from that. "Anyway," Luna said, standing up. "Why won't you touch us? I'm not the only one who'd make each and every fantasy you have come true. And I'm sure we could make some fantasies you _haven't_ gotten yet come true as well."

Harry's anger peaked. "Precisely because of that!" he said, forcefully. "I know what it's like to be a slave! To have no free will and no power to do the things _you_ want to do! So, how can I be sure it's what _you_ want? For all I know, these blasted contracts, or curses, or vows, oaths, and whatnots have been warping you into _thinking_ it's what you want!"

Luna was silent, as were the rest of the girls, shocked speechless by Harry's outburst. "In that case," she finally said, "I want my release."

Harry's anger dropped immediately as a heavy weight seemed to drop into his stomach. "What?" he muttered, suddenly not feeling so good.

"You once promised to release us," Luna said. "I want my release."

"Luna, no!" Pansy shrieked.

"Don't do it, Luna!" Susan begged.

"No," Harry muttered to the girls as they all started to speak up. "If that's what Luna wants," he said, showing the anguish he was feeling on his face. It looked as if he was watching a loved one die. "I, Harry James Potter, hereby release Luna Lovegood."

Luna nodded. "I accept my release from you, Harry James Potter," she stated calmly as they both glowed faintly for just a few seconds. "I'm free now," she said.

Harry nodded, blinking. He wouldn't cry. Not while she was still here to see it. After she left... then he'd break down. She was just the first one... they would all leave him... his old fears would be realized.

"Are you in agreement I am in total control over my mind now?" Luna asked.

"Huh?" Harry stated lucidly as he startled out of his vicious down-spiral of dark thoughts. "Yes," he finally added, processing her question. "You're free."

Luna dipped her head, then drew her wand, dropped to one knee, and declared," I, Luna Lovegood, in total faculty over my own mind, hereby pledge myself to Harry James Potter, Mind, Body, Magic, and Soul, for him to hold for as long as he wants, to be his First for as long as he wants."

Harry just stood there in shock, unable to believe what was happening. "Luna," he finally muttered.

"Just say 'yes'," she asked quietly, suddenly sounding fragile.

"Yes," he whispered. As the magical glow encompassed the both of them, Luna was already on her feet, being dragged up by Harry as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't – ever – do – that – again," he ordered sadly, shaking in her embrace.

"I won't ever do it again," Luna whispered, holding him tight as he sobbed into her shoulder.

"I thought you'd go," he whispered sadly, "I really thought you'd go." He let his tears fall free.

"I had to make it convincing," she replied. "I'm sorry for hurting you like that... but you had to know, this is _us_, Harry. The contracts can't manipulate us. Not like that."

Harry just hugged her tighter.

The others stared at the tableau, most of them not even able to think of a response, just too shocked at what Luna had done. Most of them didn't even know what to feel, let alone think.

Except for one witch. "Is _that_ all it takes?" she muttered in the silence, causing the girls nearest her to look strangely in her direction.

As she stood up, walked towards the still-hugging couple, she drew her wand, and dropped to one knee where Harry could see her.

"I, Hannah Abbot, swear myself to you, Harry James Potter, Mind, Body, Magic and Soul, to hold for as long as you want me."

"H-Hannah?" Susan asked.

"You don't know how long I've wanted this," the Hufflepuff said in her friend's direction before focusing on Harry, who seemed to have gone into shock.

"Hannah?" he finally asked.

"Please say yes," she begged.

"I... I..." he stuttered, before Luna grabbed him, and hugged him tighter.

"Say yes, Harry. She wants this, like I did," his First said, gently, sounding very much like _his_ First again, airy, yet incredibly smart.

"Yes," Harry muttered. "I accept, on the condition that you never tell anyone outside of this room about this. Last thing I want is to have girls drop in front of me in the hallways, making magical vows and pleas."

"Deal!" Hannah squeaked, jumping up and throwing her arms around Harry and Luna.

As the entire family cheered, nobody noticed Hermione pulling Daphne to one side, urgently whispering a couple of questions to the Slytherin. The other girl thought for a few seconds, then grinned and nodded, gesticulating widely as she replied in a low voice. Hermione's grin grew bigger, then turned to where a massive group-hug seemed to be in progress, a group-hug that Daphne joined immediately upon finishing the whispered conversation with Hermione.

The bushy brunette crossed her arms, watching the proceedings with a smile on her face.

"Herms?" Harry asked, extracting himself from a bunch of ravenous girls, most of which were ready to pull a Luna, break whatever bond they had with Harry, and swear a totally new Oath. He managed to calm them down quite nicely, explaining that he no longer believed the contracts, or vows, or oaths, or myriad of other ways they had become members of his family, to be influencing their minds anymore.

"It seems you're in quite a pickle, Harry," the Gryffindor said with a smirk on her face, as she let her eyes trail over the assembled girls. "After all, _this_ seems to be quite an easier way for new people to be joining your family now. Way better than the Life Debt thing that keeps going around the female population of Hogwarts. Never mind the fact that the Life Debt Servitude Act only works on Life Debts already recorded _before_ the Act was created. But this... this Pledge will have quite a bit of young ladies trying to pledge themselves to you." She smiled slightly. "And a few young men, too, I'd wager."

Harry shuddered. "No offense, but _that_ is even worse."

"I didn't think that was your cup of tea," Hermione said, still grinning. "But still... I think I have a solution. It'll even make sure nobody else joins your Family."

Harry grinned wider. "That's my Herms!" he crowed. "Please! Do tell! I can't wait to have this madness stop! I'll do _anything_!"

"All you have to do is say 'yes'," Hermione said.

Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Yes?" he asked, frown appearing on his face as he studied Hermione wearily. "To what?"

Hermione suddenly drew her wand. "I, Hermione Jean Granger, in full faculty of my mind and actions, pledge myself to Harry James Potter, Lord of Potters, the Blacks, and the Bones, the Baron of Greengrass, to cherish and to obey for as long as we both accept, on the sole condition that no further magically binding expansions happen to his family, with or without his consent, barred as they will be by this, a prior Vow."

Harry swallowed. "Hermione?" he whispered.

"You're supposed to vow back that no more magically binding expansions can take place," Hermione said. "Of course, that doesn't mean that you can't expand the family the old-fashioned way."

Harry looked at her, staring into her eyes for tense, long seconds. "Do you really want this?" he asked. "This is a long way from the girl who swore she would find a way to break the contracts between myself, Luna, Susan, Pansy, and Tracey."

Hermione nodded. "I've been a member of your family for these last few days. I've never felt more accepted. I've never felt better than I've felt with you. And if that means I have to play dress-up, crawl into your arms on certain evenings, and get a hug and a kiss along with the rest of the girls, then so be it." Her widening smile said that the 'sacrifice' was one she had no problems making, and, in fact, seemed to be looking forward to making it.

Harry smiled, and drew his wand. "I, Harry James Potter, Lord of the Potters, Blacks, and Bones', the Baron of Greengrass, accept Hermione Jean Granger on the conditions she specified. From here on, no magically binding expansion may happen to my family, as they will be canceled by this Prior Vow."

A flash of gold spread from both Harry and Hermione, weaving together, binding the Oath.

As the gold vanished, and Hermione found herself in Harry's arms, she sighed, and finally relaxed. Her head resting on his shoulder, he hugged her. "Welcome to the family, Herms."

"Please stop calling me that," she protested.

"Fat chance," he declared in flat American. "I like 'Herms'. Better than that 'Mione' crap you prefer."

"Bastard," she retorted.

"Yet _you_ are the one who just vowed herself to me."

"Don't remind me," she protested, before disengaging the hug.

"Each and every day, Herms," Harry said with a wink, sinking into the nearest available couch, causing a small stampede as the various girls tried to get in next to Harry. This time, it was Padma who beat the rest to the left spot, and against all odds, Hermione who won the right-hand side.

Pansy, grinning mischievously, placed herself on his lap. Harry chuckled as the others grumbled as found seating arrangements elsewhere, while Claudia merely created her own Illusion-chair to sit in.

"So, now what?" Harry asked as they settled. "I no longer have to worry about any more girls popping up, thanks to my brilliant Herms. I have no less than three complete libraries of magic books and information at my disposal. I have a half-daughter construct of magic that can do almost anything in the real world and everything in an Illusion Chamber I built out of my will. I'm living in the former Chamber of Secrets, transfigured into a palace the likes even royalty would go green-eyed over. And I'm still in school and not even 17 yet!"

"Yes, well, there's still Voldemort," Pansy reminded him.

"And exams and NEWTs," Hermione pointed out.

"And, eventually," Padma put in her two knuts, "you'll have to see about uniting all of the magical nations under your banner to bring about a new golden age."

"Ah. Right," he groaned.

"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione cooed, running her fingers through his hair, "We'll always be here for you. All of us. We love you. You love us. There's nothing in the world that all of us can't handle if we're together. For right now, you're safe and with your loved ones and nothing more needs to be done today. You can rest easy. We'll always take care of you."

Harry just sighed, allowing himself to finally, finally, _finally_ relax after who knows how long. It made a big difference in his thinking.

"Thank you," he whispered to them.

Skipping class had never felt so good to Harry as he lounged about with his girls, him and Ron trading playful banter while he and his family got to know each other all over again.

After dinner, Ron bowed out, claiming a prior engagement with Lavender. Wishing his best friend all the luck, Harry and his family returned to the transmuted Chamber of Secrets.

"Girls, I've been very negligent of some of you," he said after they all found a place to sit. Snapping his fingers, he drew three boxes out of thin air. "Herms, you already got yours, but these three are for our new ladies," he said, holding three jewelery boxes in his hands.

"First, Parvati, Padma, these are for you," he said, holding out two of the boxes. The Indian twins jumped him, hugging and kissing him before they even thought about taking the boxes and opening them.

Gasps all around, as the two girls showed a matching set of jewels, at first sight, twins of each other, yet still different. The two necklaces were made up out of a choker containing silver linkages and beautiful gemstones, with black lotus flowers made out of silver containing the same gems attached to it. For Parvati, the Gryffindor, the gems were tiny red rubies, while Padma, forever Ravenclaw, had an identical necklace with blue sapphires.

Matching sterling earrings with matching gems, slightly larger than the teardrop attached to the necklace, completed the set.

Again, the girls squealed and jumped him. Harry, a big grin on his face, grabbed hold of each of them as they grabbed and kissed him. He laughed loudly and carefree, smiling widely when they finally disengaged their massive twin-hug.

His smile grew wider when Padma and Parvati immediately joined the other girls in wearing their necklaces. "I'm glad you like them," Harry said. "As I already explained to the others, those sets are yours to do with what you want. The rest of the Malfoy Family Jewels, I can never get tired of saying that, are in the bedroom, and they're for common use. If you want to wear something, it's first come, first served... so I'd appreciate it if you'd put everything back when you're done with it. I wouldn't want to have a fight on my hands because of some stupid gems."

He smiled at Hannah. "Hannah," he said. "Fair Hannah, who's so pretty when she's angry."

The blond Hufflepuff flushed bright red as he reminded her of something that happened almost a week ago. "These are for you," he said, handing her a box.

The girl beamed him a dazzling smile as she slowly worked the box open. She gasped as she lifted the necklace out of the box. A solid silver choker held a silver waterfall tipped with rose quartz crystals interwoven into it, playing beautifully against the blond's fair skin. "It's gorgeous," she whispered, tackling Harry, and not giving him a chance to say anything as she kissed him all over his face.

Finally, she disentangled herself, and Harry smiled at her. "Well, I'm glad you like it," he finished somewhat lamely. What was one supposed to say when a beautiful young woman gave you such an enthusiastic thank you?

Lifting the silver-and-quartz earrings out of the box, and holding them against her ears, she asked the room at large how she looked. As the girls all agreed that Hannah looked great, it inspired a somewhat mad-dash to the bedroom as the other girls all went to find their own earrings.

Padma, Parvati, and Hannah, already having their sets close at hand, merely put in the earrings, while looking at Hermione. Harry looked at her as well.

"You're not going to join us, Herms?" Padma asked.

"Don't call me that!" Hermione said in a huff.

"That's _my_ prerogative," Harry said with a grin. "But the question's valid, Herms. You don't like the necklace? I can get you something else," he said, his voice trailing off.

Hermione shook her head. "It's beautiful, Harry! I already told you that... but I can't wear them like that... they're too pretty to just wear casually..."

Harry waved it off. "The others don't mind, so I don't see why not... and besides, the value of those gems are in making you happy. I don't care squat about money, and you _know_ it."

Hermione sighed, nodded, and went against the flow of girls coming out of the bedroom as she walked in, in search of her own jewels. "Finally convinced her to wear them?" Pansy asked, plastering herself next to Harry, making Padma, Parvati, and Hannah scowl at not having taken the chance when they were alone in the room with him. By the time they were over their shock, Tracey had taken the seat on Harry's _other_ side, and they were forced to find seating elsewhere.

"Yup," Harry confirmed. "But now I think, she has a new problem... namely, where did she put them?"

The girls were still laughing by the time Hermione left the bedroom, her bushy hair pulled back with a dazzling diadem made of silver, gold, and tiny diamonds, an obvious charm placed upon the object making Hermione's normally bushy hair appear as if it had been treated with liters of Slick-Easy potion.

Around her dainty neck was a tender choked of solid gold, with tiny diamond worked into it for the lighting effect rather than for the gems, as the light refracted into beautiful little rainbows on her unblemished skin. Each ear had a tiny diamond drop in it, once more there for effect rather than glamor. On the reserved Hermione, the effect was stunning and breathtaking.

"I'm glad to see you still found them, " Harry said with a chuckle. "And it makes me wonder just how many boys will be beating themselves up for never having noticed you before."

Hermione flushed prettily under the praise as she looked uncertain at the other girls. When she received enthusiastic confirmations of Harry's statements, she finally allowed herself to relax and brought out a wide smile that made her entire face light up.

00000

Ronald Bilius Weasley's life had forever changed the day he went to Hogwarts. It was the day that he first met his two best friends, each of them to have unbelievable influence and change over his fate in the future. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, a living legend and hero to wizards and witches of Great Britain everywhere, would become his closest friend and by helping and aiding Harry in his adventures, he would find it within himself to become a true Gryffindor. Hermione Granger, the Smartest Witch of Her Generation, a muggle-born witch with buck-teeth, bushy hair, and a bossy know-it-all demeanor, and was the only one that could actually make him focus on anything besides Quidditch or chess. It was only thanks to her that he was a Wizard of any caliber at all!

The Triwizard Tournament in his Fourth Year would also forever change Ron's life. It was the year his and Harry's friendship almost tore itself apart. It was the year he _finally_ noticed Hermione as a growing woman. It was the year he finally started noticing girls _period_. And, it was the year Voldemort returned.

As he made his way down from Gryffindor Tower that Friday morning, over two weeks after the now infamous "Poker Game", the youngest Weasley son felt an uneasy sense of divination that his life would very soon be forever changed yet again. Nothing happened immediately, it was just a feeling he had.

Noticing that Harry and his Harem, or his 'Girls' as the phrase was being coined, had not yet ascended from their Chamber, he just shrugged and sat down for some quiet breakfast of his own. As usual, after he'd polished off his fifth 'seconds', the Owl Post arrived. What was so _un_usual about this was at least three different owls headed straight for Ron and dropped two scrolls, a parchment-wrapped package, and a sealed envelope right in front of him. The owls, unfortunately, did not hang around, which confused Ron as most often the creatures hung around to beg off a bit of bacon or two after delivery was complete.

Shrugging, Ron opened up the sealed letter first, and was literally shocked when a wave of magic exploded from it. He dropped it and briefly wondered if this was a prank from the Twins, until he recognized the seal that had been on the letter. It was the seal for the Ministry of Magic!

"Oh bugger, now what? Don't tell me I have to be Harry's manservant or some such nonsense like that?" Ron complained to himself as he slowly picked up the parchment letter and began to read it.

"_Dear Sir Ronald Bilius Weasley,_

_We at the Ministry of Magic: Department of Noble Announcements & Proclamations would like to congratulate you and thank you for accepting you Inheritance as the heir of the Weasley Title of Her Majesty's Royal Court. Due to their outright refusal on the day each of them came of Age, your elder brothers have chosen to forgo this title. Thanks to your opening of this notification, as you read this it is being proclaimed of your ascendancy into the Nobility of Wizard Britain._

_As such, you may now be addressed by all, save for those you count as closest of friends, as _Sir Weasley_, or _My Lord_ in passing. Your Noble Title is truthfully the Baronet Weasley, as your family hold magical lands and Your Ancestor was once Knighted for Services rendered and chose to become a Knight of Magic, changing the title from a simple Lower Baron, to Baronet. In addition, you now have your own Vault at Gringotts, which has been bequeathed with the standard allowance of 500,995 Galleons, with the surcharges for establishing the account, tax fees and crediting charges making it an even 500,000 Galleon amount._

_Your responsibilities as a Baronet of Wizard Britain is to defend against outside or Dark Magic Threats, maintain your holdings (or appoint someone to do it for you), accept a seat on the Wizengamot (or appoint someone to do it for you), and of course you are invited to join the ranks of the International Confederation of Wizards. Beyond that, your responsibilities are what you make them to be._

_Sent alongside this notification are three items; the parchment wrapped package contains the Weasley Signet ring and a family heirloom that is rumored to have magical properties, but have not yet been identified. It also contains two Ancient Handfast Bands that you may do with as you desire. The Scrolls are Proclamations, should you choose to accept them, of Alliances that have been offered between other Noble Families to You._

_Once again, Congratulations and Gratitude Sir Weasley._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_Frederick B. Stark_

_Department of Noble Announcements & Proclamations_

_PS: By the time you've finished reading this notification, the deadline to challenge your Acceptance of this Inheritance has expired. Enjoy!_"

Ron stared, dumbstruck at the letter in his hands for a full minute, before he finally made a response.

"... Whuh?!"

"Hey Ron!" a voice called out from behind him. "What's up?"

He slowly turned to see Harry standing there with all his Girls, looking more relaxed than Ron had seen him since before two weeks ago. Finally, his brain caught up, if only a little bit, as he realized what Harry had said, and he replied, "Huh? Oh! Uh, I'm not really sure. You know where Hermione is? I think I need her to take a look at something for me real quick."

Harry chuckled and then looked to his left at one of the Girls, who was giggling, causing interesting things to happen in her tight red china dress. Ron stared, uncomprehending for a second until his brain caught up a bit more. The girl was Hermione! And she was wearing one of those 'Harry Harem' Outfits!

"Hermione! Whu... wait a minute. You got caught too?" he blurted.

She smiled and took the letter from his limp hands. "Well, not so much caught, but to answer yours and everyone else's questions, yes, I'm one of Harry's Girls now. You might want to close your mouth and open the rest of your mail, Ronald. Before you let some hapless insect fly in."

Snapping his mouth shut, Ron gulped and, without really thinking, turned to the scrolls and opened them both at the same time. The wash of magic was barely enough to drown out Hermione's sudden shout of, "RON! NO!!"

Startled, both by the scrolls and Hermione's shout, Ron jumped back from the table and dropped both scrolls to the ground. Not that it mattered much as Hermione immediately picked them both up. "I tried to warn you, you silly boy! These," she picked up the opened scrolls and glanced them over, "As I suspected. These are Noble Contracts of Alliance. In any other country they might as well be considered Marriage Licenses! But thanks to the Wizarding World's warped view on things, guess what Ron? You now have yourself two concubines from two of the Lesser Noble Families of Wizard Britain!"

"Wait! What?!" Ron suddenly shouted, drawing several people's attention. Attention that was shifted when two more owls suddenly flew down and dropped a scroll each in front of two girls at different tables. "Wait a minute here, what is going on here? This kind of thing is supposed to happen to Harry, yeah? I don't even know what that letter is talking about!"

"Well, I'd think it would be fairly obvious, Ronald," Hermione scoffed, pulling Daphne out of the group and having her pour over the letter and scrolls with her.

Still very confused, but still hungry, Ron just huffed and then sat down and decided to open up the last of his mail. (Never let it be said that genius and common sense often ran together, as in Ron Weasley that is clearly not the case)

Opening the box, Ron saw exactly what the letter had said would be in there. A large, ornate ring with a stylized W imprinted onto it, which Ron immediately grabbed and put onto his left hand. (He didn't want the ring to get in the way of his wand or spell-casting) Then the other three items; two identical bracelets and a larger piece of jewelry that was gold with ornate red jewels embedded into it. Pulling that out and placing it on the counter, Ron was about to take a look at the bracelets, only to have Hermione practically scream into his ear from right behind him.

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY!"

He jumped, which unfortunately rattled the box he was holding and it was enough for both bracelets to escape, bounce off the table, land on the stone floor on their edges, and begin to roll away. "Bloody hell, now she's doing it to me," Ron complained to himself before turning around to face the witch.

"Do you have any comprehension of what you have just done?" she demanded.

"Uh... no, not really," he shrugged, a clueless expression on his face to support his statement.

"Oh, for the love of..." Hermione almost screamed, but was saved from making a scene as Lavender Brown walked up and sat down beside Ron.

"Hey Ronnie! What are you doing?" she grinned and spoke sultrily at him. "Ooo! What's this? Are you getting me presents already, Ronnie?" Then, before anybody could even think about stopping her, she picked up the piece of jewelry Ron had removed from the box, examined it for all of one second, before placing it around her neck, as she identified it as a jeweled choker. "Help me with fastening it, Ronnie?" she begged prettily.

"Uh..." Ron wasn't sure how to respond, but nevertheless found his hands moving without full conscious thought, and with a simple flick of a finger, he had locked the magical choker around the neck of his girlfriend. It wasn't until after they all noticed the spark of magic ignite that he began to wonder if that was a bad thing or not.

A couple tables over, two different young ladies looked down when they felt something solid strike their feet. Looking down, they both saw a smooth band-bracelet with intricate runic carvings all over it. Picking it up, they each tracked where they believed the bracelet to have come from, and saw Harry Potter standing there with his harem. Over the past week, common sense and free thought had been an increasingly rare sight at Hogwarts, doubly so when it came to Harry Potter and the rumors of him gathering a harem. Each, on their own, recalling that at least one of those girls had joined thanks to a piece of jewelry, and seeing how Harry had bequeathed all his Girls with the Malfoy Family Jewels, they squealed and did not hesitate to place the bracelets on their own slim wrists. Ten seconds later, the runes lit up on them and they shrunk from their normal size, to skintight and binding over their individual wrist.

Right around the same time this all was happening, the two girls that had gotten scrolls a minute ago, suddenly cried out and began to make a scene by almost crying and on the verge of becoming hysterical. In the midst of all this, everyone immediately turned to Harry, who was still standing next to the table with most of his Girls.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Harry muttered.

"It's about to get worse," Hermione warned everyone.

"Oh MASTER! Thank You!" Lavender suddenly burst out and hugged Ron around the neck.

"Huh?"

Su Li and Megan Jones, from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, suddenly jumped up, each sporting a new silver bracelet on their wrists, and practically tackled Ron and Lavender to the ground, if it wasn't for Ron being made of sturdier stuff, so they wound up grabbing a leg each. "Oh Master! Thank You for having us as your slaves! We'll be good and proper witches and give you lots and lots of babies!"

"Wha...?"

Romilda Vane, a Fourth Year at Gryffindor table, stalked forward, holding a scroll in her hand and tears in her eyes. "How could you?! _How could you_!! I wanted Harry! Not his sidekick! HOW COULD YOU!!"

"But...!"

From the Ravenclaw table, again, Lisa Turpin slowly stood up and walked straight for Ron, ignoring Harry even as she walked right by him. She too held a scroll, but her face was rather subdued as she said to Ron, "I am here at my Lord's command. Do with me as you wish, my Lord."

"Whu...?"

"See? Told you," Hermione muttered to Harry.

"So... by circumventing this karmic curse that got me all of you, I basically just transferred it to Ron?" Harry asked.

"It would seem so," Luna answered.

Harry's only reply was to smirk at his friend's "good fortune" and would be glad of the opportunity for his best friend to finally learn some responsibility. Also, Ron wasn't exactly one to hold back on his desires, so Harry thought it a good idea that all of his "contracts" so far were those that "services rendered" would not constitute a dismissal. Also, it would be good to have someone to share miseries with once everything had settled down for his friend.

"Y'know, I think it's time we went to the Kitchens to set up that deal with the House Elves about bringing our meals directly to us. At least for the next couple of weeks, until Ron gets everything settled. What do you think, girls?"

They just cheered and almost dragged him to the Kitchens themselves.

"Harry?" Ron cried out, being held back by three young women as he was accosted by two others. "HELP!!"

"One thing I've leaned, Ron, is that you don't say 'no' to a bunch of ravenous girls, especially when they're out to get you," Harry said as he strode rapidly out of the Great Hall, his Family right behind him.

"I feel like I was just thrown to the wolves," Ron muttered, looking from one girl to the next, not knowing what to do next.

"No, just the girls," Harry replied from beyond the Great Hall.

END?


End file.
